Survival
by ArtieFanFiction
Summary: Two NCIS agents are missing somewhere in the Amazon basin. Will the rest of the team be able to find them in time? And just what is the bigger picture here? Read to find out...
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's note: **_

**_Disclaimer: I do not own them but I do love them._**

_**Here's a new story that's been formulating in my mind for the past few months.**_

**_Enjoy and Review soon. Thanks!_**

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About an hour into the flight, Ziva told Gibbs that she needed to stretch her legs. The cabin staff had just served drinks and after taking a few sips of her orange juice Ziva was feeling a bit queasy. Gibbs stood up and made room for her to pass. As soon as she was in the walk way, Gibbs sat down again and prepared another coffee for himself using his own cup, water from a flask and his favourite blend of coffee. All of this, he carried in his backpack and he was willing to guard this with his life.

He was relieved to be on a flight back home because Argentina was hot as hell at this time of year. More than that, the case had been solved and the guilty Naval Petty Officer Becker was awaiting a naval aircraft that would bring him back to Washington for his court marshal. Gibbs and Ziva could have waited another 5 days for the naval aircraft or they could have been on the next commercial flight out of Buenos Aires.

Gibbs opted for the quicker option, so now they were on this 8 and a half hour Aerolineas Argentinas flight from Buenos Aires to Miami. Then they had a 2 hour stop over before connecting on an American Airlines flight to Washington.

As Ziva got into the bathroom she thought, _Oh no! Stupid, stupid girl Ziva! You shouldn't have eaten those disgusting chicken empanadas at the airport. They must have been underdone or something and now you're going to be sick for the rest of this flight! _

She gagged a few times, but all that come up was the little orange juice that she had drunk a few minutes earlier. As she made her way out of the bathroom, she heard two men speaking in Spanish behind her. Turning around she found a curtain blocking her view of them but what they said made her forget all about her nausea.

She listened intently for the next 5 minutes, until Gibbs walked up behind her and said, loud enough for the men behind the curtain to hear, "Ziva, you okay?"

The curtain snapped open and Ziva immediately plastered herself against Gibbs' side as she wrapped an arm around his waist.

"Ziva?" Gibbs questioned, puzzled by her peculiar behaviour.

"Oh Mon Cheri, you know how this pregnancy is plaguing me with nausea." Ziva said as she looked up and fluttered her eye lashes at Gibbs. Gibbs looked at her wondering what the hell she was up to.

"Can we help you, Mam?" One of the men, dressed as a member of the cabin crew, asked Ziva as he looked at her and Gibbs suspiciously.

"Oh all I need is a soft drink and my love here, to rub my belly." Ziva said as she grabbed Gibbs' hand and placed it on her stomach. "It always helps to ease the nausea. It also helps to do other things but this is not the time or place to be talking about that." Ziva smiled up to Gibbs as she actually blushed.

Picking up on her cue Gibbs played along with this farce as he leaned down and kissed her forehead. This surprised Ziva as much as it surprised Gibbs.

"Love let's get back to our seats so I can make you all comfy again." Gibbs grinned. Then he wrapped his arm around Ziva while keeping his other hand gently on her stomach as they walked back to their seats.

Once they were out of ear shot of the men Gibbs growled, while still maintaining a smile on his face, "What the hell was that all about, Ziva _dear_?"

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_**Author's note: **_

**_Stay tuned for more and review ASAP._**

_**And let me know if you want a Gibbs/Ziva pairing or not as I haven't decided on this yet….**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Author's Note:**_

_**Thank you for all the great reviews. I loved reading them.**_

_**Here's the next chapter…. Enjoy and please review soon … Thanks!**_

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Back at NCIS head quarters, Ms Abby Scuito was spinning in her chair while listening to some very loud music. She was waiting for the analysis report on a blood sample for another NCIS case to be printed. She looked at her watch and grinned as she noted the time.

_Gibbs, you and Ziva must be your flight from Buenos Aires now. Another 10 hours and you'll be here. I've missed you guys so much over the last week and I've really missed my regular Caf-Paw deliveries,_ Abby thought as she uploaded a photo of Gibbs onto her computer monitor.

At the same time the elevator on that floor of the building opened and Agents Anthony DiNozzo and Timothy McGee stepped out.

"I'm telling you McGeek, it makes no sense why Gibbs would take Ziva with him to Argentina. I mean I'm his Senior Field Agent. I should have been the one to go." Tony complained for the 5th time that morning.

"Ziva speaks a number languages including Spanish, Tony. That's why Gibbs took her with him." McGee replied as they entered Abby's lab. Tony immediately made his way to the stereo and turned the volume way down.

"Tony, McGee! To what do I owe this visit? Do you need me to trace something or analyse something or maybe you have a new case that requires a forensic officer just like me to join you out in the field." Abby asked hopefully as she twirled one of her pigtails around her finger.

"Tony's feeling insecure again. _Ouch!_" McGee called out as Tony slapped him on the back of his head.

"What was that for?" McGee asked in a hurt voice.

"A good investigator wouldn't have to ask. He would already know what that was for." Tony said with a sneer as he moved to the other end of the lab.

"Come on Tony, play nice with McGee. It's not his fault that Gibbs opted to take Ziva on this trip." Abby said as she walked up to McGee and rubbed the back of his head soothingly.

Tony watched them for a moment and then decided that he wasn't comfortable with what he was seeing. The way Abby was touching McGee hinted at something more then just a friendly gesture. It was intimate somehow.

_Oh boy! There goes Gibbs rule number 12, Thou shall not get personally involved with another agent on your team. Then again Abby isn't an Agent, and Abby is Gibbs' favourite. He would let her get away with anything, even this. But Probie! That's a whole other story. _Tony grinned as he mentally pictured Gibbs' reaction to McGee and Abby's relationship.

As Abby's hand started caressing McGee's cheek, Tony forcefully cleared his throat and said, "If you two lovebirds are done, could I please get the tox screen results on our dead officer."

McGee was the first to react by pulling away from Abby's hypnotic hands. A telltale blush marred his cheeks, confirming Tony's suspicions. Just then the lab doors swished open and Dr Mallard, Ducky to his friends, entered the room.

"His tox screen is clean. There were no stimulants or depressants in his blood stream." Abby said as with a sigh as she reached for a report on her desk and handed it to Tony.

"Yes, I'm afraid his autopsy revealed that as a result of bad eating habits and a very high cholesterol problem compounded by high blood pressure, our Navy officer expired of a massive coronary infarction, a heart attack." Ducky confirmed.

"Great so this case is closed. Who's up for some lunch? I'm starving." Tony said as he handed the report back to Abby.

"Anthony, lunch? It's barely 10:30am." Ducky confirmed.

"Ducky we have to take what we get. Call it lunch or brunch, whatever you want to but we better get going before another case is called in." Tony chirped.

Then he added, "I'm buying …" as he headed for the elevator.

"Wait for me." Abby shouted back.

"I'm coming too." McGee called out.

"Oh, I guess I could join you since I have nothing else to do for the rest of the day." Ducky said as he removed his lab coat and followed the rest of the team to the elevator.

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Back on the plane, Ziva's queasiness seemed to be getting worse despite the fact that she had not eaten anything in the last hour. She was feeling miserable and she noticed that the two cabin members she had caught talking earlier were keeping a really close eye on her and Gibbs. As a result, she wasn't able to tell him what she had overhead.

Gibbs noticed that Ziva looked paler then normal and he wondered what was wrong with her. He knew that she had something to tell him, but the men watching them made that very difficult for her. In addition he realised that they would have to continue playing the part of a loving couple to prevent the men from becoming suspicious. So they continued to hold hands and touch each other whenever they saw one of the men approaching them. The strange thing was, the more they touched, the more comfortable they became with each other.

Gibbs leaned over to Ziva and placed his hand on her stomach as her whispered, "Smile like we're sharing a private joke. Then I want you to lean over and whisper back to me and tell me what's wrong with you. You're looking a bit green around the edges and I know you don't suffer from air or motion sickness." Then he kissed her cheek lightly before pulling away from her.

Ziva smiled brightly despite her misery as she grabbed Gibbs' arm and pulled him back towards her. Gibbs wasn't expecting this so as he turned his head towards her, their lips collided. Both of them stopped moving for a split second. Ziva's eyes widened and as she prepared to pull away she noticed one of the men from earlier walking down the passageway towards them. She instantly moved her hand up into Gibbs' hair and pulled him closer. Then she sighed as she kissed Gibbs … for real.

She justified her actions as, w_e have to make it look real and there's no better way to do that then for it to be real! _

Gibbs was taken by complete surprise and he was unsure of exactly how to react or how far to take this. Ziva chose that moment to trace his lips with her tongue, as she noticed that the guy had stopped 2 seats away from them and he was watching them intently. Gibbs took this as his cue to act and parted his lips under Ziva's insistent and persuasive ministrations. Then he leaned closer and wrapped his arms around her. Their tongues engaged in an age old dance, caressing, sucking, drawing and stroking and this led to intimate little gasps and moans escaping from both of them. Ziva was amazed and astounded that Gibbs was kissing her back and kissing her so well.

_Oh yes, this is real, very real!_

Gibbs was thinking the exact same thing. But he was also lamenting, _this is not good. No Damn it! Ziva and me… Kissing. Mmmmm, No… this is … really good!_

A few moments later Ziva drew back a bit and smiled a smile that Gibbs had never seen before. She looked sensual and mischievous at the same time. She leaned in close to him and rested her forehead against his as she whisper, "We are being watched but I think we put on a really good show."

"Yeah, I'd say." Gibbs grinned back at her.

Then she pecked him on the lips again before saying out loud, "_Mon Cheri_, I need the little girl's room. Would you walk with me?"

"Of course, Love." Gibbs replied as his grin widened. As they stood up Gibbs and Ziva ignored the guy watching them.

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A few hours later, back at the NCIS head office, Abby ran into the bullpen and shouted hysterically at Tony and McGee to switch on the News channel on the large plasma screen.

"Abby , what …." Tony tried to ask as he walked around his desk and came to stand next to her. At the same moment Ducky walked into the bullpen.

"Just switch it on now! Oh God. This can't be happening. I must have seen wrong. Or I must have heard wrong. Oh, it can't be true!!! McGee, hurry up!" Abby shouted, tears streaming down her face, as McGee looked for a news channel.

"_We interrupt your regular programming to bring you the following unconfirmed report. Aerolineas Argentinas flight AR thirteen zero two has gone off radar somewhere over the Amazon Basin. This flight was on route from Buenos Aires to Miami and is carrying 178 passengers and crew. Hang on a moment… We've just received confirmation. Flight AR1302 has crashed somewhere in the Amazon basin. We will continue to find out more and report back to you so stay tuned to Channel 10, your up-to-the-minute breaking news station."_

"No!!" Abby cried out as she collapsed in McGee's arms.

"That's…" Tony started to say as he stared at the plasma screen in horror.

"The flight Gibbs and…" McGee continued as he swallowed convulsively.

"Ziva are on!" Ducky gasped as he sat down heavily into Gibbs' chair.

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_**Author's Note:**_

_**That's it for this chapter.**_

_**Stay tuned for more and let me know what you think about it so far… Thanks**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Author's note:**_

_**Thank you for all the positive feedback and I love that you guys are so open to a Gibbs/Ziva pairing. But I haven't decided on this yet, so you will have to read on to find out waht happens.**_

_**Here's another 'short' chapter. Enjoy and review asap….Thanks!**_

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"DiNozzo, McGee, in my office NOW!" Director Shepherd shouted from her balcony as she looked down at the bullpen.

Tony was dazed. His mind refused to believe what the Channel 10 news anchor had just said.

_AR1302 has crashed somewhere in the Amazon Basin. Gibbs and Ziva were on that flight. It's not possible that they could have crashed and it's not possible that they're DEAD._

McGee was in a similar state and Abby was inconsolable.

"Special Agents Anthony DiNozzo, and Timothy McGee! Get your butts up here this instant or I'll choose another team to go and find Gibbs and Ziva!" Jenny shouted. Then she turned her back on them and made her way back to her office. Abby looked up through her tears and then she pulled away from McGee.

"Of course just because the plane crashed doesn't mean that Gibbs and Ziva didn't make it. Right?" Abby asked, trying desperately to hold onto the tiny spark of hope that had blossomed in her chest.

"You're right. McGee let's go." Tony said as he tore his eyes away from the plasma screen and ran up the flight of steps, two at a time. Tim followed him as Ducky stood up and placed a supporting arm around Abby.

_Dear Lord, please keep Jethro and Ziva save where ever they may be! _Ducky prayed.

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Tony and McGee found Jenny pacing the length of her office like a caged lioness.

"I've called the Director's of every agency and they have all given their commitment to work with us by sharing information, expertise, personal, equipment, what ever we may need to go and find Gibbs and Ziva." She said without looking at DiNozzo and McGee.

"When do we leave?" Tony asked impressed with how much Jenny had got in place in such a short space of time.

"Within the next two hours from the Naval airbase down town. The flight will take you directly to Manaus in Brazil. That is the nearest point of entry as I understand it, to where the Urucu River crosses the Amazon River. That's where the airline suspects the plane went down. Get Abby to inject you with sub-dermal trackers and get your gear together. This is rough terrain and I'm sending you out there to bring them back and not to loose you too."

"We'll bring them back." Tony said with conviction.

"Good. I've spoken to our office in Argentina and they're using their diplomatic contacts in the Brazilian Government to arrange a guide, transport, medication and air support for the team of 4 people I am putting together." Jenny replied.

"Who else is going with us?" McGee asked.

"Ducky, so that he can take care of Gibbs and Ziva and your medical needs as necessary and Special Agent Esmeralda Dominga from our Brazilian office. She's also a trained nurse and has worked in the field for the last 5 years. You will also have the support of the Naval office in Brazil." Jenny replied as she wished that she could go. But that was impossible because being Director meant that she had the whole agency to run and she couldn't let the anguish pulsating through her heart and mind prevent her from doing her job. _I will get you everything you need to get out of this mess. Just be alive so that we can get you out! _She prayed.

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At the scene of the crash, parts of the plane lay intact. Baggage, rubble and yes people lay strewn across the large expense of the lush green forest. Tall, broad trees with torn branches surrounded the crash site on one end. The other was made up of running water, a river or stream. Irritating insects buzzed and hummed all around the plane. The heat was intense and the air was humid and thick.

In the midst of all of this, one Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs came gradually awake. The first thing he registered was pain, stabbing, pulsating and excruciating pain running up the length of his leg. His head also hurt like hell and his vision was clouded with a red sticky substance which his muddled brain told him was his blood. Another thing he realized was that he was lying on what should have been the ceiling of the plane. Then he heard it. Buzzing, humming, crying and moaning. Human crying and moaning!

_I need to help them! _

"Argh!" He cried out in absolute agony as he forced himself up onto his elbows. His leg was trapped. No pinned. That was thanks to a metal rod that had gone clean through his leg, and was now stuck to the ceiling on the plane.

As pain overwhelmed him and his body slipped into the realm of nothingness, his last conscious thought was, _ZIVA where are you?!_

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_**Author's Note**_

_**That's it for this chapter.**_

_**Let me know if you enjoyed it. **_

_**Stay tuned for the next chapter where more of what happened will be revealed.**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Author's note:**_

_**Thank you for the great reviews. **_

_**Here's the next chapter…. Enjoy and Review ASAP.**_

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"Miguel? Where are you? Miguel!" A woman cried out, blood running down her arm as she walked among the debris. Just like her there were a number of people calling out to loved one's and looking around in fear and confusion.

From a flight of 172 only a hand full of people remained. Some had minor injuries and some would not last through the fast approaching night.

Then one voice was heard above the moaning and crying.

"People, listen to me!" Eduardo Sanchez called out. He was one of the lucky ones having escaped the plane crash with only a few scratches.

"My name is Eduardo Sanchez. I am a Doctor. I need your help to identify the badly injured so that I can start treating them." He continued as adrenaline pumped through his system. At first he thought no one was going to help, so he ignored them. He instead made his way to the first person lying in his path and he started assessing her condition.

Then a late afternoon shadow fell across his shoulder.

"I am Milena Santiago. I'm a nurse. I will help you." She said as she kneeled next to him and started examining the body next to her.

Eduardo nodded his head in thanks as he and Milena worked systematically through the bodies. Soon more people pulled themselves' together and started helping.

"What can we do?" asked Sergio a 20 year old student on his way to Miami, on an exchange student program.

"Collect all the blankets you can find from the plane. Be careful as you do that. We need to build a shelter for the injured and we need to move the dead a safe distance away. Also bring whatever towels you can find that can be used as bandages. My medical kit was in the luggage compartment of the flight. See if you can find it as well as the plane's first aid kit." Eduardo instructed.

"I'll get the first aid kit and I'll show you were the extra towels and blankets were usually stored on the plane." Maria said as she added, "I was a stewardess on this flight."

Soon Eduardo had sorted out the patients on the ground based on the severity of their injuries. 3 were critical with broken bones and internal bleeding. Another 5 had bad cuts and bruises which would need to be monitored. The rest had a few bruises but they were mobile and coherent. All in all there were 20 survivors out of a flight of 172.

Sergio and his friend Felipe went through the plane's remains and collected blankets, towels, food and drinks. As they entered the third part of the plane, which was lying a bit away from the other parts of the plane, they stumbled over a man who was pinned to the ceiling of the plane. They would have moved on but Sergio was sure he heard a low gasp.

"Sergio hurry. I can not stand being amongst the dead for this long!" Felipe complained as he looked at the bodies strewn in this part of the plane.

Sergio ignored his friend as he leaned his face close to the pinned man's blood covered face. As he stared face to face with the silver haired man, he felt a shallow breathe hit his face.

He jumped up and ran to the opening of the plane and shouted, "Eduardo, there's a badly injured man in here. Hurry!"

Eduardo left his other patients in Milena's hands as he rushed into the plane.

"Holy Mother of God!" Eduardo exclaimed as he placed two fingers to the base of the unconscious man's neck to feel for a pulse. It was there, surprisingly steady.

"How are we going to get him out of here?" Felipe asked as he stared at the half inch wide, one and a half yard long metal rod that was protruding from the man's calf.

"Get me a blanket and some towels. Then find something that we can use to cut this rod. I also need any alcohol you can find." Eduardo ordered.

"Yes, anyone would need a drink after seeing this." Felipe commented.

"It's for the patient Felipe not for me!" Eduardo growled wondering how Felipe could have ever been selected for an exchange program.

"Come on Felipe. Let us find what the doctor needs." Sergio said as he handed Eduardo a blanket and then pulled his friend deeper into the plane.

As they progressed through the dead bodies, they came across a dark haired, attractive woman lying on her side.

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Back at the NCIS Head Quarters Abby slammed her hands onto the counter in frustration.

"What is it, Abby?" Tony asked as he and McGee walked into the lab.

"I can't find them. The GPS's in their cellphones is not working or is damaged." Abby replied, feeling defeated and drained.

"We'll find them Abby. I promise." Tony said as he took over Gibbs' customary response and hugged Abby.

"Thank you Tony I needed to hear that. Okay roll up your sleeves." Abby ordered as she turned to another table and retrieved a rather large syringe. Tony and McGee looked at each other in horror.

_Those are the sub-dermal trackers the Director was talking about but she never said that the needle would be that long and thick! _Tony thought.

Just then Ducky walked in and rolled up his sleeve without hesitation.

"Hey Duckman, I guess you're ready to go first." Abby said. Then she proceeded to inject Ducky. Ducky did no more then narrow his eyes slightly as the needle penetrated his skin. As Abby finished with Ducky, Director Shepherd entered the lab.

Not to be outdone by the NCIS ME, Tony rolled his sleeve up and stepped forward. He grinned as he looked at Ducky and Jenny and then his expression changed to one of alarm.

Ducky grinned at him and said, "Yes, it does actually hurt quite a bit Anthony."

McGee swallowed as he stepped forward. Abby administered the shot and then when no one was looking she kissed the sore spot on McGee's arm. A silent look full of longing passed between them. Tony caught onto it at about the same time Jenny did.

"Agent McGee!" Jenny growled, disgusted that McGee and Abby could loose focus of what was important at a time like this.

When McGee joined them Jenny went over everything that was planned and then Tony, McGee and Ducky left for the Naval Airport.

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… _Drug the passengers… Crash the plane… No resistance…International Airport…Conference .. Many birds with one stone!_

As Mossad Officer Ziva David drifted back into the realm of consciousness, a jumble of thoughts and memories assaulted her. They made her already aching head, throb more because she couldn't make sense of what her mind was trying to tell her.

Then she felt someone grab on her arm and shake her. It took her a split second to come fully awake and to the flip the intruder onto the ground, his arm bent behind his back and his neck in the death grip of her inner elbow.

"Hey, _ow,_ let me go! I was just checking if you were alive." Felipe whimpered as Sergio laughed. That was when the surroundings intruded on Ziva's senses. She loosened her grip on the man, marginally, as she took in the shattered remains of the plane, the dead people lying around her, the baggage, clothes and equipment scattered everywhere.

_This is a bad dream, a very bad dream. _Ziva thought as she blinked her eyes rapidly and tried to 'wake up'. But every time she opened her eyes, the same picture appeared to her.

"It is real. The plane crashed about an hour ago." Sergio said as he kneeled in front of Ziva.

"Let me go. Serg tell her to let me go!" Felipe groaned.

As Ziva looked at the man she had trapped, a sudden weakness overwhelmed her. She released Felipe as she rolled onto the ground, clutching her right side. The man sitting next to her coughed for a second and then he noticed the blood soaking through her t-shirt.

"Eduardo, we have another one and she's bleeding. What should we do?" Sergio shouted out as he too noticed the blood.

"Apply pressure to the wound. You have to try to stop the bleeding. I'll be there in a moment. Felipe go out there and get us some more help." Eduardo ordered as he wrapped a towel around the silver haired man's wound..

"Miss, you heard what the doctor said. I need to apply pressure to this wound on your side. So just lie still and no more ninja tricks. Okay?" Sergio warned as he grabbed a blanket from the ground and bunched it up. When he pressed it to Ziva's side, she moaned out at the pain. Her world spun out of control and a terrible sense of nausea washed through her system.

Then a vision flashed through Ziva's mind, forcing her to push herself up into a sitting position.

"Please Miss. You should be lying down." Sergio suggested even as he helped her.

Ziva ignored him as she lifted the side of her t-shirt and looked at the wound.

"Eduardo, she's bleeding from two wounds on her side." Sergio shouted as Ziva closed her eyes and acknowledged _I was shot! That bastard actually shot me. He better be dead because if his not I'm going to kill him so slowly that he will remember me even as he enters the gates of hell._

Then another thought jolted her propelling her into action. She grabbed Sergio roughly by his collar and looked him dead in the eyes.

"Hey Miss we agreed no more Ninja tactics." Sergio complained.

"Where is Agent _GIBBS_? Take me to him _NOW_!" She demanded as she refused to even consider the possibility that Gibbs may be dead.

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_**Author's note:**_

_**That's it for this chapter.**_

_**Will Gibbs survive the night? Will Ziva be okay? What was Ziva remembering?**_

_**Stay tuned and review asap to find out.**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Author's Note:**_

_**Thank you for the great reviews. **_

_**Here's the next chapter… Enjoy and Review soon…Thanks!**_

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"Hey, Miss, Calm down! I don't even know who you are speaking about." Sergio said as Ziva held onto him.

At the same time, they heard a lady exclaim from a bit further down the plane.

"_Ah mi Dios!_ Is he alive?" Milena asked as she stared down at the silvered haired man.

"Yes. We need to keep him warm so that he does not go into shock. Get one of the man to find something to cut this rod and then to start a fire." Eduardo said as he stood up and stretched his neck. Milena did a instructed and returned within a minute.

"Let me go lady! I need to check the rest of the plane for any more survivors." Sergio said in a serious voice. Ziva looked at him and then at the dead bodies lying around her. That was when the gravity of the situation hit her with such force that she slumped backwards in shock.

"Milena, Eduardo I think this lady's going to pass out." Sergio called out as he reached for Ziva.

"I'm …not." Ziva replied although she did suddenly feel extremely lightheaded.

Eduardo rushed to the back of the plane as he said, "Milena, stay with him."

Then he was at Ziva's side, helping Sergio to get her to lie down. Ziva realised that she was cold as well as nauseous.

"Sergio, get a blanket." Eduardo ordered as he lifted Ziva's t-shirt. She tried to stop his hand but he forcefully moved her hand away saying, "I'm Dr Eduardo Sanchez. Let me see so I can try to fix it."

"It's a gunshot wound, a through and through. Just stitch it up so I can start looking for my Boss." Ziva said as she closed her eyes for a second and swallowed the nausea that was plaguing her throat. Then she growled at the pain slicing through her side as Eduardo probed her wounds.

"Sorry." Eduardo said. "Who's your boss?" he continued, wanting to keep Ziva talking.

"He's an NCIS Special Agent." Ziva said as she tried to slap Eduardo's hands away.

"What's you're name?" Eduardo asked as backed off for a second and just held the towel in place.

"Ziva…" she replied. Then she forced herself up to a sitting position.

_I have to find him. I have to find Gibbs! _Fear and anxiety mingled in her soul and propelled her to her feet.

"Ziva, you need to rest while …." Eduardo said as he stood up with her just as Felipe ran into the plane.

"I found it!" Felipe exclaimed.

"What did you find Felipe?" Eduardo asked as he rolled his eyes to Ziva and she frowned. Eduardo made sure to keep a stabilising hand at her back, just in case she decided to take a nose dive.

"Your medical bag and the first aid kit of course!" Felipe shouted like a five year old as he placed both bags at Eduardo's feet. At the same time Sergio was making his way back. Eduardo looked at him pointedly and he nodded in the negative, indicating that there were no more survivors.

"Take whatever food and drink you can find and then meet us out there. Night is fast approaching and we still have a lot to do." Eduardo instructed Sergio and Felipe and they left to do as ordered.

"Ziva lie down so I can stitch your wounds." Eduardo requested and Ziva, who was feeling more then a bit woozy, complied.

"You were one of the agents that took those men on. You saved us." Eduardo said. When Ziva didn't reply, he just shook his head and handed her a shot of scotch.

"Drink this." he said.

"I don't need a drink!" Ziva protested.

"Okay." he said as he proceeded to pour a small dose of antiseptic over her wounds.

Ziva hissed in shock and pain as the horrible liquid scorched her raw flesh almost forcing off the ground.

"Will you drink now?" Eduardo asked as he opened the bottle and held it to her mouth. She glared at him as she gulped the strong spirit and then gasped as it burnt a trail down her chest.

"I do not have any numbing drugs so alcohol is the best I can do." Eduardo said by way of explanation.

"This is going to hurt and for that I am sorry." He said as he proceeded to stitch the wounds in her side. Eduardo was relieved that the wound was not too deep. The fact that the bleeding was slowing down indicated that no internal organs were hit. Also the fact that Ziva was coherent and able to stand up indicated that her wound was not life threatening. The only thing to worry about now, was fever and infection.

Ziva didn't make a sound. She bit onto her lower lip and tears rolled down the side of face as the needle pierced her flesh repeatedly. She thought about Gibbs and the tears started to fall in earnest.

_Gibbs, you followed my lead, trusted me and protected me. And the way you kissed me, you made me feel so alive, like as if I really meant something to you. And now you could be dead. Gone forever! _

Ziva hiccupped as an unbearable ache started in her heart and overwhelmed all her senses.

"Ziva, ssshhh. I'm almost done. I'm sorry that it's hurting so much." Eduardo apologised as he saw her tears and heard her moan out.

Ziva didn't even hear him. She was too focused on what had happened and what it meant for her and the information she would have to somehow get back to Washington.

She thought about how she would have to tell the team and the Director that Gibbs was gone.

She could see Tony's disbelief and McGee's shock. Abby would be devastated and Ducky would hurt quietly, calmly on the inside. Jenny would be furious on the outside and torn apart on the inside.

And then she would have to tell them what had happened and that the threat was not over. She would have to tell them about...

Eduardo chose that moment to press the needle more deeply into her side, forcing her back to the present situation. She wiped her eyes and took a steadying breathe as she said, "I need to see all the dead."

"Ziva, you need to rest." Eduardo replied as he dressed her wounds with surgical gauze from the first aid kit.

"I have to see if he is amongst the dead. I need to!" Ziva growled at him.

Eduardo stared at her for a second and then he said, "You really love him, this Boss of your's."

Ziva stared at Eduardo like as if he had grown a second head or something.

"And you have not even realized that you love him until this moment." Eduardo concluded, shocking Ziva for a second time in as many minutes.

_How are you able to read me so easily? And how is it that you can see things that even I, a seasoned investigator, missed?_ Ziva pondered.

"Here, drink this." Eduardo said as he handed her two pills. "They're ibuprofens, for the pain." He continued as he handed her a bottle of water. After she drank the pills, he helped her up and then started to move to the opening in the plane.

"Eduardo he is waking up!" Milena said as she wrapped the blanket more securely around her patient's shoulders hiding his face from Ziva.

"I'll be right back. I just need to get Ziva out of here and settled somewhere warm." Eduardo said as he held Ziva's hand while she stepped over the prone man with a metal rod stick out of his leg.

_Poor man! I wonder how they're going to get him out of this._

Something about him tugged at Ziva's mind, but she was too exhausted and in too much pain to pay much attention to it.

And then she heard her name whispered in a voice she never expected to hear again, _"Ziva!"_

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_**Author's Note:**_

_**That's it for this chapter.**_

_**Let me know what you think and stay tuned for the next chapter…..**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Author's Note:**_

_**Thank you so much for all the reviews and feedback. **_

_**I am trying a slightly different way of writing and I wasn't sure if I would be able to carry the new style throughout the whole story. But your feedback is really helpful, motivating and encouraging.**_

_**Here's the next chapter… Enjoy and as always Review soon….. Thank you.**_

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McGee swallowed hard as they entered the cargo plane. All their gear and medical supplies had been loaded first and now upon entering the plan, McGee realised that there were no proper seats. There were only two bunks, facing each other with what looked like harnesses into which he guessed they would have to strap themselves.

"Move it McGee." Tony ordered as he walked up behind McGee.

"Oh dear, this is going be a rather uncomfortable ride. But not to worry as I've done this a few time in my lifetime." Ducky commented as he took the bunk on the right. McGee finally made his way to the opposite bunk and sat down heavily next to Tony who was already strapping himself in.

As the flight took off, all 3 men were tossed around and had to fight to keep from falling off the bunks. Once they were up in the air it wasn't much better. Ducky noticed the greenish tinge to McGee's face and asked the young agent, "Is this your first time on a cargo aircraft, Timothy?"

"Ahem!" McGee groaned as his stomach revolted.

"McGee, hold it together, will you?" Tony growled his mind pre-occupied with how he was going to go about finding Gibbs and Ziva.

"I think I'm going to be …sick." McGee said as he looked at Tony.

"Oh no you don't! Get away from me and go and puke in the back of the plane. I swear McGee , if you…." Tony's ranting came to an abrupt halt as the aircraft jerked violently and McGee was thrown forward against his leg. A second later McGee gagged, expelling his last meal all over Tony's Italian boots.

Tony groaned out in disgust as he suddenly felt the urge to throw up himself. Ducky in the meantime rummaged through his bag and withdrew a bottle of water and a few pills.

"Sorry… Tony." McGee gasped as he stopped gagging while still leaning his head against Tony's knee.

"McGee you better get off my knee right now or I'll throw you off this plane." Tony growled, his fear and worry, for his Boss and partner finding an outlet in his anger.

"Anthony calm down. Timothy, drink this. It's a sedative that will knock you out and clear up your nausea." Ducky informed them as he stretched over and handed the pills and water to Tony, who in turn handed them to McGee.

McGee swallowed the pills hastily, which led to a bout of coughing and Tony feared that he was going to throw up again. After a few minutes however, McGee's coughing subsided and he eventually passed out.

Ducky then handed Tony a few paper towels, which he had also removed from his bag. Tony wiped his shoes and then settled back in his seat, as he mind wondered back to all the information they had so far.

_I hope Esmeralda will have narrowed the search area by the time we get there. We have to find them and soon. And they have to be alive. They just have to be._

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Back in the overturned plane, Ziva froze as she heard her name gasped in a weak, pain riddled voice. She turned around quickly, pushing Eduardo out of the way as she kneeled next to the prone man with the metal rod in his leg. She moved the blanket slightly away from his head as she held onto her aching side.

"Gibbs!" she whispered, relief and joy flooding her system only to be replaced by terror as she realized how badly he was hurt. She reached out trembling fingers and caressed his head lightly as all manner of possibilities flirted through her mind.

Gibbs was delirious. He felt the trembling fingers run through his hair and he moaned out in response. He also felt the pressure on his leg. It made him gasp out in agony as hot, searing pain pulsated up and down it.

"Oh God Gibbs." Ziva exclaimed, wishing that there was some way she could make the pain less.

Gibbs' head felt ready to explode and he was cold, so cold.

_Hell is supposed to be hot. Then why am I freezing. What the hell happened to me? And the where am I? _Gibbs was feeling agitated. He tried to move and when he couldn't he started to panic.

Ziva reached out to Gibbs as he growled and trashed out, jerking his upper body off the ground. Then he gasped in shock as the pain intensified tenfold making him panic even more.

"Jethro! Calm down. Gibbs!" Ziva called out as she and Milena tried to hold him down without hurting him further.

But Gibbs felt like he was being suffocated. He couldn't seem to catch his breathe. His heart was beating so fast it felt like it was about to burst out of his chest. How could this be happening to him, a marine gunny who had experienced far worse then this is his life.

"Eduardo, he is having a ... _ataque de ansiedad"_ Milena cried out as she continued to apply pressure to his leg while keeping her other arm on his back.

_Ataque de ansiedad, anxiety attack!_ Ziva's mind translated Milena's words as Gibbs continued to trash, kicking his uninjured leg out as he gasped in terror and pain.

"Gibbs, you're going to be okay. Just calm down. Please Jethro." Ziva pleaded as she was sure that he had just made his injuries worse.

She turned to Eduardo and growled, "Do something!"

But Eduardo was already doing something. He was preparing a syringe which he had retrieved from his medical bag. Once it was ready, he leaned forward and grabbed Gibbs' arm. Holding it firmly he slipped the needle into a vein and forced the drug into Gibbs' body.

Gibbs roared at the added restraint and accompanying pain as Milena and Ziva continued to hold him down.

"Jethro. It's going to be okay. I promise it's going to be okay." Ziva spoke as tears choked up her throat. Within a minute Gibbs stopped trashing and the tension left his body as he slipped back into unconsciousness.

Just then Felipe and Sergio entered the plane again.

"We found this." Felipe said as he held up a metal saw.

"We can't use that. It will cause more damage to his wound not to mention the pain he would have to suffer." Eduardo said in frustration.

"Find something else to cut it." Ziva growled in frustration, her own pain and discomfort ignored. She turned back to Gibbs, her hand returning to his hair.

"Eduardo, we need to hurry. He has developed a_ fiebre_, a fever." Milena said as she removed her hand from Gibbs heated forehead.

Ziva looked up sharply as fear overwhelmed her.

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Author's Note:

That's it for this chapter.

Stay tuned as the fear and tension continue to build... And please review. Thanks...


	7. Chapter 7

_**Author's Note:**_

_**Thank you for the reviews.**_

_**Here's the next chapter….. Enjoy and Review ASAP. Thanks…**_

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Ziva spent the next hour sitting next to Gibbs, caressing his head and thinking back to all that had happened.

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The nausea had continued to plague her and the two cabin men kept walking past her and Gibbs, keeping an eye on them. As they made their way to the bathroom, Ziva had whispered, "They were talking about a plane crash working as a diversion for a bigger attack on American soil."

"What else did they say?" Gibbs whispered back, his hand on her waist and his lips kissing her cheek and neck.

"They …" Ziva tried to continue but then gagged and rushed into the bathroom. Ziva admitted that it was more then just her nausea that made he bulk. It was, the sensation of having Gibbs' tongue lick her neck, that surprised and confused her making her want to retreat with all haste.

Gibbs was just as surprised by what he had just done. But somehow it felt right and he couldn't stop himself. She tasted a bit salty but sweet and he anticipated tasting her again soon. As Gibbs waited for Ziva to exit the bathroom he noticed that there were quiet a few other passengers holding paper bags to their mouths as they looked a bit green.

Then he became aware of the fact that the cabin crew was handing out a lot of water and he wondered _could there be something in the water that's making them ill. I haven't felt the effects because I've been drinking the water I brought on board with me._

As Ziva stepped out of the bathroom she looked a bit pale. She still clutched her stomach and whispered, "I'm sorry that I'm so queasy. I don't…"

But Gibbs cut her off mid-sentence, "What is my rule about apologizing? Besides I think the water's spiked and that's what's causing your nausea."

"What?" Ziva gasped and then she realized that she did actually feel worse after having a drink.

"It's not only the water. I think its all liquids." Ziva stated as Gibbs wrapped an arm around her shoulders and led her back to their seats. He kissed her forehead and looked at her with a lover's concern as they were being watched again.

As a stewardess walked past a few moments later, Gibbs stopped her and asked, "Excuse me. Could I please get a wet towel for my sweetheart and could you also tell me what is that man's name and the other man to his right, what is his name?" Gibbs smiled disarmingly as he wrapped him arm around Ziva's shoulders and Ziva rested her head on his shoulder.

"Of course sir. The taller one's name is Amando _'Isam'_ Perez and the other is T'ariq Abdulla. Both of them are new and this is their first international flight. So if anything is not up to standard please let me know and I'll fix it for you." The polite stewardess offered.

"Thank you. All I need right now is that wet towel and a blanket." Gibbs replied. Then he turned to Ziva and kissed her forehead again. Ziva secretly admitted that it felt so natural to keep her head on Gibbs' shoulder and to have his lips caress her forehead. He smelt of coffee and spice and he was solid and warm next to her.

_It would be so easy to forget that we're playacting. _Ziva sighed as Gibbs took the blanket from the stewardess and then turned back to Ziva. He lifted the arm rest between her seat and his and the one at the empty seat by the window.

"Lie down Ziva." He said surprising her. She did as he asked and laid her head on his lap. She held herself stiffly for a few moments while he placed the blanket around her. Soon she relaxed as he stroked her hair, loosening it. Then he placed the wet towel against her forehead and said, "Tell me what else you overheard Isam and T'ariq speaking about."

"Oh yes. They mentioned something about crashing the plane on American soil and creating a distraction and then hitting their main target." Ziva whispered completed distracted by Gibbs. Gibbs continued to stroke her hair, sending pleasant sensations down her spine. She sub-consciously turned a bit to give him better access to her head and his fingers strokes gently from the root to the tip of her hair, occasionally caressing her neck, shoulder and back.

"I'll keep an eye on them to see if any of the other crew members are involved. I'm going to give Jenny a call so that she can start monitoring the situation from the ground." Gibbs said as he picked up the phone attached to the seat in front of him.

"Damn it. I can't get a line out of here." Gibbs growled. Then he schooled his features to one of worry as he looked down at Ziva and continued to stroke her hair. _I have to find a way to let Jen know what's going on without spooking these men, _Gibbs sighed in frustration.

Ziva smiled in contentment as she moved her hand to Gibbs' thigh and rested her cheek on it. _This feels so … wonderful!_ She thought as she fell off to sleep.

It was when she woke up that all hell broke loose.

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Ziva was shaken from her reverie when Eduardo placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Ziva, you need to rest because he's going to need you once we get him out of here."

Eduardo had just finished stitching the nasty gash at Gibbs' left temple and he had dressed the wound. They were still waiting for Sergio and Felipe to get back with something to cut the rod with.

"I'm not leaving him." Ziva stated in a voice that broached no argument, as she laced her fingers with Gibbs' cold fingers. Her side throbbed and her legs were cramping up from sitting so still for so long. But there was no way she was moving, not until she knew that he was going to be okay.

"Alright." Eduardo conceded. "How long have you known him?" Eduardo continued as he sat down next to her. He was concerned about Gibbs and Ziva and all the other patients out there because he didn't have enough medication to go around.

_Oh Dios, I do not have more than two or three doses of pain killers and antibiotics per patient. How am I going to save them?_

Milena had left them a while ago to go and keep an eye on the other patients. The dead bodies had been removed from this part of the aircraft by two men. Identifying jewellery was removed from their bodies before they were buried so that they could be given to family members in order to serve as a means of identifying of the dead.

Now with night approaching, a chilly breeze started to filter through the aircraft. When Ziva shivered slightly, Eduardo reached over and wrapped a blanket around her shoulders.

"Thank you. I've worked for him for just over 3 years." Ziva said just as Sergio and Felipe run towards them.

"We went through all the luggage and cargo and we finally found this." Sergio said.

"I hope it works, because there is nothing else." Felipe chirped. At the same time Gibbs started to float back to consciousness.

"It will work." Ziva and Eduardo simultaneously replied.

"Get Milena and start a fire out there. I need boiled water and any salt you can find. I also need that alcohol we spoke about earlier." Eduardo ordered as he moved towards Gibbs' injured leg.

"The fire's already on and Milena said she would be here in a few minutes." Sergio replied.

Gibbs slowly became more aware of his surroundings. He was also very aware of the tightness and throbbing in his head and the intense pulsating pain and pressure on his lower leg. But he remained still, wanting to understand what had happened and who all these people surrounding him were.

Eduardo kneeled next to Gibbs' leg and removed the blanket and bloody towel. Then he cut Gibb's pants away fully exposing the wound. Gibbs immediately tensed as blinding white, hot pain sizzled up his leg. He bit down hard on his inner cheek to prevent crying out in agony. Ziva felt the tension in Gibbs body, but she thought that he was still unconscious and reacting subconsciously.

Eduardo observed that the rod had pieced the flesh on the left hand side of the tibia bone. He did not think that the bone was broken but he couldn't be sure about any arteries or veins that may have been nicked by the metal rod.

"What are you going to do?" Ziva asked as Eduardo stared at Gibbs' exposed leg. Gibbs strained to listen to Ziva's voice as he fought to remain conscious.

"I could cut the metal rod on both sides and keep it impelled in his leg." Eduardo replied.

"But I think the metal is reacting with his body and that's why he's got a fever." Ziva stated. Gibbs felt her hand on his shoulder and a sense of relief washed through him when he finally recognised who she was and that she was okay.

"But won't leaving the rod in his leg, turn his blood like _séptica _or something and than he will die." Felipe voiced, surprising everyone with his insight.

"Yes that's true. But the other option is just as unpredictable." Eduardo warned.

"What do you mean?" Felipe asked.

"He means that a major artery or vein may be damaged or could be damaged when the rod is removed and then Gibbs would bleed to death within an hour." Ziva said as she took a deep breathe, her hand slipping into Gibbs' hair. Gibbs listened to what was being said and it was somehow making sense to him.

"But what if the veins and arteries are okay?" Sergio asked.

"Then I could stop any further bleeding and stitch up the wound. I will also start him on a course of antibiotics to fight the infection. But there is no guarantee that he will be okay. I do not have enough or even the right medication to deal with this type of injury." Eduardo stated in exasperation. Ziva closed her eyes for a second fearing that she would have to make this decision for Gibbs and what if she made the wrong one. What if he died!

Gibbs chose that moment to make them aware of the fact that he was coherent.

"_Remove … it!"_ he said in a gruff voice as his eyes locked with Ziva's.

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_**Author's Note:**_

_**That's it for this chapter.**_

_**The next chapter will peek in on the rest of the team and of course on removing the horrible rod from Gibbs' leg.**_

_**So stay tuned, and as always please review….. Thanks!**_


	8. Chapter 8

**_Author's Note: _**

**_Thank you for all your support and the continued encouragement in the form of reviews. I really appreciate them. _**

**_Here's the next chapter…. Enjoy and review soon. Thanks…. _**

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"Gibbs!" Ziva exclaimed as she leaned towards his face and kissed him on his cheek. She was so relieved to see his eyes open and focused.

"What happened?" he whispered.

"During the attack I assume the pilots must have been hurt, because they lost control of the plane and we crashed. We think that we're somewhere in the Amazon, give or take a few hundred miles in either direction." Ziva candidly told him. That was when bits and pieces of information filtered back to Gibbs.

"You okay?" Gibbs asked as he tried to assess her from his awkward position on the ground.

Ziva replied, "Yes, I'm fine." There was no way she was going to tell Gibbs that she had been hurt. He would just worry and under the circumstances he had enough to worry about.

"Where are they, _Isam_ and _T'ariq_?" Gibbs asked a second later as he tried to push himself up. That was when excruciating pain sliced up his leg and he felt an incessant drum beating against his brain. He groaned out in agony wishing that the darkness would consume him once again. Ziva immediately leaned in close to him and whispered, "Don't move. You're hurt but you're going to be okay. Dr Eduardo's going to take care of you."

"How bad is it?" Gibbs gasped, not really wanting to know.

"It's not too bad." Ziva said after a moment's hesitation as she averted her eyes.

"You can't liar convincingly enough to me, Ziva. So damn it, just tell me!" Gibbs insisted as he started becoming restless.

"Your ... your leg's pinned to the ground by a metal rod and you have a severe concussion." Ziva said, realizing that trying to hide the truth would just make Gibbs more agitated.

Gibbs' only reaction was to sigh as he rapidly blinked his eyes. Inside however he was terrified that such an injury under these conditions could lead to him loosing his leg.

"Agent Gibbs, I'm Eduardo. Do you have pain anywhere other then your head and lower leg?" Eduardo asked as he moved in line with Gibbs' vision.

"No." Gibbs replied although his whole body was tingling and trembling with pain.

"Okay, good." Eduardo said in relief. "Sergio, bring the water and alcohol and also bring two flat pieces of wood about 40cm long and 5cm wide. I will also need strips of material to tie the splint. And tell Milena I need her now." Eduardo instructed.

Gibbs wanted to speak to Ziva about Isam and T'ariq but for some reason he couldn't focus. He realized that he was feeling rather hot and he found that strange since Ziva was clutching a blanket around her shoulders.

Eduardo returned to Gibbs' side a few moments later and said, "I must warn you that I do not have any anesthetic or numbing agents, so it is going to be extremely painful when I remove the rod from your leg."

_"Just do it!"_ Gibbs ordered feeling very edgy and wanting to get over with it.

"Okay." Eduardo said as Sergio, Felipe and Milena returned with everything he needed.

"Ziva get him to drink this." Eduardo said as he handed her 3 shots of whiskey. Ziva opened the bottles and held them to Gibbs lips. Because of the position he was in, he couldn't gulp the drinks and was forced to sip it instead, which burnt his mouth.

"I'm going to talk you through everything as I do it. I'm going to give you a pain injection in your calf now." Eduardo said a second before Gibbs felt a needle slip under his skin into his traumatized calf muscle.

A few moments later, Eduardo said, "I'm cutting the rod about 3 inches above your leg now. Sergio, hold onto the top of it." Eduardo instructed as he used the bolt cutters that Felipe had found in the tool box.

Ziva watched Gibbs' face and saw pain dilate his pupils and perspiration dot his brow. But he didn't utter a sound. She kept her hand on his shoulder all the time offering him silent support.

"Now I'm going to have to lift your leg a few millimeters so that I can cut the bottom end of the rod. Sergio, put the splints under his leg on each side of the rod. Gibbs this is going to hurt." Eduardo warned.

Then without even giving Gibbs a second to take a deep breathe, Eduardo lifted his leg a half an inch off the ground and Sergio pushed the splints into place. This time Gibbs swore out in torment as his leg felt like it was on fire. Ziva grabbed a hold of his hand and he squeezed it tightly almost snapping her fingers. But he didn't pass out. He took a few deep breathes and growled as he tried to get the pain under control. He was sweating profusely now and his whole body was shaking uncontrollably.

"Your leg is free. But now I am going to pull the rod out. Milena, Sergio?" Eduardo questioned if they were ready.

"Forgive me my friend but there is no other way. Ziva place this between his teeth." Eduardo instructed as he handed his leather belt over to Ziva. She folded it in two and then placed it in between Gibbs' teeth. Gibbs bit down on the leather knowing that the next few minutes were going to be pure hell. Ziva placed her hand back onto his shoulder and as she held eye contact with him she mouthed, _"Just hang in there, Gibbs. You're going to pull through this." _

"On the count of three I will start withdrawing the rod." Eduardo confirmed. Gibbs took a deep breathe and held as still as possible.

"One!"

"Two!"

"_Argh……. Mmm …..Aaahhh!"_ Gibbs cried out in torture as his leg felt like it was being torn into a million pieces.

Eduardo drew the rod out slowly, wanting to prevent damage to the arteries, veins, nerves and muscles. Felipe looked away as Milena and Sergio held Gibbs' leg stable. When the rod was halfway out all tension left Gibbs' body, as he slipped into blessed unconsciousness.

That was when Ziva let her tears fall. There was no way she was going to show Gibbs her fear, not while he was still looking at her. But now that he was unconscious she let all her emotion flood her senses and she allowed the tears to roll down her face as she lightly caressed Gibbs' head.

As soon at the rod was removed, Eduardo disinfected the wound by pouring antiseptic liquid over it. Then he watched the bleeding pattern and sighed in relief when he was sure that no major blood vessels had been nicked. Milena crouched next to him, handing him the suturing kit and he placed 8 stitches on entry and exit wound. He used the boiled water to clean Gibbs's leg, before dressing the wound and splinting his lower leg. Finally he administered an anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial into Gibbs' hip. Gibbs remained still throughout and Ziva used a towel to wipe away the perspiration from his face.

"Phew that was _espantoso!_" Felipe sighed.

"Yes, it was very scary." Milena confirmed.

"We need to turn him over." Eduardo said as he stood up. He was very concerned about Gibbs' blood loss. But more than that, he was concerned about the fever and the fact that that indicated that Gibbs already had an infection raging in his body.

Everyone worked together to turned Gibbs onto his back as gently as possible, without jarring his injuries. Milena grabbed a box and placed a pillow on it and then lifted Gibbs' injured leg up onto it. Then Eduardo gave him a shot for the fever before covering him with a blanket.

"Call me as soon as he awakes." Eduardo told Ziva as he, Milena, Sergio and Felipe left that part of the wreckage.

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As Felipe walked out of the plane he looked back at Ziva and Gibbs and thought back to a few moments earlier when he had overheard their conversation about Isam and T'ariq.

He pondered, h_ow much do they know about our plan? Did they overhear Isam and T'ariq discussing it? I need to find out more and if they do know anything I will have to take care of them before we get back to civilization. _

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**_Author's Note: _**

**_That's it for this chapter. _**

**_So what exactly happened on the flight? And how does Felipe fit into it? Also have Tony and the team arrived in _** **_Brazil_****_ and have Abby and Jenny been able to gather any new information/intelligence from any of the other agencies? _**

**_Stay tuned to find out…. And As Always….Review ASAP…. Thanks! _**


	9. Chapter 9

_**Author's note:**_

_**Thank you for all the fabulous reviews, you guys are great.**_

_**Here's the next chapter, enjoy….. and Review soon…. Thanks!**_

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"McGee, wake up! We're here." Tony ordered as the plane landed at Eduardo Gomes International Airport in Manaus, Brazil. McGee woke with a start. But that was because Tony had pushed him and his head unceremoniously connected with the side of the bench he had been sitting on.

"Ouch. Tony was that necessary." McGee grumbled as he rubbed the side of his head.

"Aamm, yeah McGee. It was necessary after you puked on my shoes and then spent the rest of the flight passed out on my shoulder." Tony replied.

"Oh." McGee said as his face coloured with embarrassment.

Tony was first in line to get of the cargo plan, followed by Ducky, with McGee taking up the rear. As the door opened, a gust of humid air assaulted them. Their first look at Manaus was a surprise. The city was all lit up and it seemed to be bustling with activity.

Parked a few meters away from the plane were 2 white SUV's . Standing in front of the first one was a tall, dark haired woman. She stepped forward as the team disembarked from the plane. As she approached them Tony noted that she was a bit taller then him and he didn't relish the thought of having to look up to her.

"NCIS Special Agents DiNozzo and McGee. And this is Dr Mallard." Tony said as he extended his hand to her and she took it with a rather tight grip.

"NCIS Agent Esmeralda Dominga. I shall take you to your hotel now and we will set out to look for your team members at 05h00." She said as she turned back to the SUV's.

"Hey, we need to start looking for them now." Tony said with annoyance.

"They could be hurt and being exposed to the elements for the night will most certainly aggravate their condition." Ducky said concern lacing his words.

"Gentlemen, we are talking about going into the Amazon in the middle of the night and we haven't yet pinpointed the crash site. Also there is a tropical storm on the way and it will make it impossible to move around or to see anything. We also need to wait for the Manaus Military to give us a location and to provide us with an escort before we leave. As soon as we have this we will move. But to go off into the Amazon blind, without an escort, would be suicide." Esmeralda informed them.

"Damn it!' Tony shouted in frustration.

"Tony let's go to the hotel and set up links with Abby. Maybe using satellite tracking she might be able to pinpoint the crash site sooner." McGee suggested feeling just as frustrated as Tony, but needing to do something.

"Let's go." Tony growled as he helped McGee grab their gear.

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Back at NCIS head quarters, Director Shepherd was in MTAC, speaking to her contact in South America, Mario Rocha.

"Mario, what is the latest?" She asked into her headset.

"Director, there have been rumours of an impending attack on American soil. But as you are aware these rumours are on going and with my limited resources it is not always possible for me to trace every lead." Mario replied. He was a fat, balding man whose clothes were always rumpled and stained with one or other sauce.

"Do you have a passenger list for me yet?" Jenny asked disgusted by the excuses Mario had just put forward.

"I am sending the passenger and crew list to you now. The thing that stood out to me was that two of the crew members, seem to have ties to the insurgence groups in Spain." He said.

"Which two and which group Mario?" Jenny asked as a print out was handed to her.

"Amando Isam Perez and T'ariq Abdulla. Both have ties to Al-Qaeda." Mario said as he picked up a soggy and dripping tortilla and took a bite of it.

"So the crash could be linked to the rumours about an Al-Qaeda attack on American soil." Jenny stated as her eyes, stopped on Gibbs and Ziva's names on the passenger list.

"Your guess is as good as mine, Director. I will dig deeper and sent you whatever I find by morning. Enjoy your evening." Mario said as Jenny ordered the feed to be cut.

When she got back to her office, she called Agent Grisham and his team in. They consisted of Isobel Martins, Sean Cage and Mike Hopkins. They were the second best team she had and they were going to work the case from head quarters, while Tony and McGee worked on finding Gibbs and Ziva. She briefed then on what they needed to be looking for and once they left her office she headed down to Abby's lab.

"Abby do you have anything?" She asked as the lab door whooshed open.

"Director, McGee just called. They landed about 45 minutes ago, but traffic in Manaus is a nightmare. They are still waiting for the Military escort and a location, without which they can't start the search." Abby said her voice subdued.

"Is there anything new on the crash?" Jenny asked.

"I'm linking into all the satellite feeds that were within range at the time of the crash to see if I can triangulate the location from the last communication from the flight. Then I will use a program that takes all factors, such as wind, speed, flight direction, etc into account and that can work out a radius within which we can center our search." Abby said as she turned back to her computer and pulled up a map of the Amazon onto the plasma screen.

Jenny followed her to the front of the screen.

"How long will this take Abby?" Jenny asked as she stared at the screen and thought about all the dangers lurking in Amazon.

"About 2 hours to collect the data and then another hour to run the scenarios that will give us the search perimeter." Abby replied.

It was already 10pm. That meant that Gibbs and Ziva had been missing for more then 8 hours.

"Work faster. I'll be in my office waiting for an update." Jenny said as she left the lab.

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Back at the crash site, 3 fires blazed at varied intervals. They were the only source of light in the forest, which was alive with a host of other sounds. A splash was heard at the waters edge, making everyone nervous that they might have unexpected guests in the form of crocodiles or other animals wanting to have a drink of water. Sergio and Felipe had searched through all the luggage and collected torches, blankets, jerseys and what ever food they could find. Everything was then stored in one of the wrecks.

Maria, with the help of Magelena and Lidia made sure that everyone had blankets and had something to eat, even though it was just peanut snacks. Earlier in the day they had boiled water and were now storing it in kettles which had been found in the kitchenette area of the plane. The injured passengers had been moved to one of the wreckages to keep them warm, and the rest of the uninjured passengers had each been allocated tasks, such as building make shift shelters and gathering wood for the fire.

Eduardo moved between his patients using the light from a hand held torch. As he checked on one of his more seriously injured patients, he shook his head in defeat. The 60 year old man, with suspected multiple internal injuries was no longer with them. He got Sergio and Felipe to help him to remove the old man's body from the plane, before he continued checking on the rest of his patients.

Finally he came to the wreckage at the far side, where Gibbs and Ziva were.

"How is he?" Eduardo asked as he shone the touch towards Gibbs's face and noticed the red tinge to Gibbs' cheeks.

"He's infections getting worse, yes?" Ziva asked and answered her own question.

Eduardo looked at her for a moment before saying, "I will give him another injection of Ibuprofen. Let's see if it makes a difference. How are you feeling?" Eduardo asked as he prepared the injection.

"I'm fine." Ziva said as lightening flashed across the sky followed closely by a clap of thunder.

Physically, yes she was okay but it was clear that she was holding everything together by shere force of will. She was a trained Mossad Officer and she was equipped to deal with any type of situation. At least that's what she kept telling herself. But somehow this was different. This was too close to home. This was not happening to just anybody out there. This was happening to someone she looked up to and respected and someone she felt connected to. Someone she loved but whom she feared that she had fallen in love with.

Felipe stood at the entrance of the plane in the dark as he watched Eduardo administer the injection into Gibbs' hip. Then he examined the cut on Gibbs' forehead as well as the two wounds on his leg. Everything looked okay for the time being. Then he moved to Ziva's side and checked on her wounds. He gave her a pain pill and watched as she swallowed it before leaving her side. Lightening and thunder continued to flash across the sky and within a heart beat it started raining.

"_Ziva."_ Gibbs voice startled her a few moments later. Felipe who had been debating moving off, held his ground trying to hear what they said next.

"_T'ariq and Isam, are they dead?"_ Gibbs asked as he ignored the pain slicing through his leg. He had awakened to when Eduardo had jabbed the needle into his flesh. The thunder had played a roll in keeping him awake.

"I don't know." Ziva replied glad to hear Gibbs' voice.

"_Why not? Didn't you check_?" Gibbs whispered in exasperation as he forced his heavy eyes open. Darkness met his gaze and he sensed that something wasn't right but he couldn't seem to put his finger on it.

"I was keeping an eye on you." Ziva admitting, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"_Why? You should have secured the area, Officer David. They could be carrying out their plan right now for all we know." _Gibbs reprimanded her.

Everything was very fuzzy all of a sudden and he had difficulty keeping his eyes open. His head was stuffed with what felt like candy floss and his throat was dry.

_Why am I lying here and why is Ziva holding my hand? _

"That's unlikely since we're all stuck somewhere in the Amazon" Ziva replied, surprised that she had been so focused on Gibbs that she had forgotten to behave like an agent. She was also concerned about Gibbs' questions because he seemed to be confused and disorientated.

"_Amazon? What are you talking about and what the hell's wrong with my leg? And who turned the heat up in here?"_ Gibbs asked as he blinked at the pain slicing through his lower limb and the heat radiating off his body.

"Gibbs calm down. The plane we were on crashed and you were hurt. You have a concussion and a wound on your lower leg and you're running a slight fever?" Ziva stated as she placed her hands on either side of his face. _The fever must be making you delirious._ She thought noting how warm he was.

"_Plane crash?"_ Gibbs asked as an unexpected wave of weariness washed through his body.

"It's okay Gibbs. You need to rest. When you wake up again everything will make sense." Ziva said, praying that that would be the case.

Gibbs was very tired now and trying to assimilate what Ziva was saying was proving to be too difficult. Also the feel of Ziva's hand on his cheek, stroking and caressing was very soothing. Ziva watched as Gibbs drifted off to sleep while she continued to touch him reassuringly. A few minutes later, she lied down next to him and promptly fell asleep while the tropical storm raged on outside.

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_**Author's note:**_

_**That's it for now.**_

_**Stay tuned for the next chapter where the search begins….**_

_**And as always let me know your thoughts … Thanks!**_


	10. Chapter 10

_**Author's Note: **_

_**Thank you for all the nice reviews. Here's the next chapter. **_

_**Enjoy and Review ASAP …. Thanks! **_

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Director Sheppard sat in her dimly lit office, a glass of bourbon in her hand and a picture of Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs on her computer screen.

_Jethro, _she sighed as she thought about their past as Agent and Probie and then partners and lovers and finally Agent and Director.

_We've done it all and seen it all. And I know that you're a survivor and a fighter, so I know…know that you're alive. You have to be! And Ziva, we've been through a few rough patches in Egypt and the Middle East. I know that you're tough, sometimes too tough. But I know that that's what's going to help you pull through this! God Damn it! You need us right now and there's nothing we can do! _

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Back in Manaus Tony, McGee and Ducky checked into a 3 star hotel. They were given 2 rooms, one single and one double, opposite each other as the hotel was full. Ducky took the single room, which meant that Tony and McGee were going to have to share the double room.

"Ah hell no!" Tony complained.

"What is the matter Agent DiNozzo?" Esmeralda asked as she followed them into their room.

"McGee you're taking the floor, because there's no way I'm sharing a bed with you." Tony adamantly stated.

"Why should I take the floor?" McGee asked his stomach still unsettled.

"Because I'm the senior agent and I say so. Now stop standing there holding up the door frame and start working on finding us a location" Tony growled as he dropped his bags in a corner and then flopped on the bed.

McGee just shook his head as he dropped his bags next to Tony's.

"I'll call you as soon as the Military escort is ready." Esmeralda said as she left them.

As McGee got his computer set up, Ducky walked into the room.

"Your room's as small as mine." Ducky observed. "And I see you'll have to share that double bed." He commented.

"We're not sharing. McGee's taking the floor." Tony replied.

"Anthony, there is no walking room around that bed, so how exactly is Timothy supposed to sleep on the floor?" Ducky asked, feeling sorry for the younger agent who still looked unwell. Just then a bright streak of lightening illuminated the world outside their room. It was closely followed by claps of thunder and an increase in the size of the raindrops.

McGee held onto his stomach as the musty air in the room combined with the humidity from the rain worked to make his stomach roll. Ducky, noticing his distress, walked the 3 steps necessary to get to him and held out his hands.

"Timothy, take these pills. They'll settle your upset stomach and take away the nausea."

"Thanks, Ducky." McGee gratefully replied as he dropped the pills into his mouth and downed them with a gulp of still mineral water.

"I'll go and get us a bite to eat and then I suggest that we get some rest." Ducky said before leaving their room.

After a few minutes, Tony had opted to shower while McGee continued working on his laptop. Upon getting out of the shower, Tony asked McGee if he had anything yet. When McGee replied in the negative, Tony started becoming restless. He paced up and down the tiny room and constantly stopped at McGee's shoulder practically breathing down his neck. As more time passed, Tony became more agitated and he started lashing out at McGee.

"Come on, McGee. Can't you make that program work faster?!" Tony growled for the fifth time in as many minutes.

"Tony like I told you before…." McGee started to say in a patient voice usually reserved when speaking to 3 year olds.

"Yeah, yeah. It takes however long it takes. But that could be too long for Gibbs and Ziva!" Tony shouted as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Anything yet?" Tony asked a minute later as he leaned over McGee's shoulder.

"No!" McGee snapped.

"No! Ziva and Gibbs are somewhere out there and I need to find them and you're wasting my time." Tony growled as he hit McGee's shoulder.

McGee stood up so fast that his chair fell over. Then he moved into Tony's personal space and growled, "I'm wasting your time! Then do it yourself!"

Then he stepped away from the desk and headed to the bathroom and Tony just stared after him in shock.

_Damn it McGee! I'm not mad at you! I'm just mad at this whole situation. Boss needs us and we're stuck here twiddling our thumbs until you come up with something._

In the bathroom, McGee sat down on the toilet seat, his face in his hands as he thought _stop pushing me so hard Tony. I know that you're worried about Gibbs and Ziva. But I'm worried too and you hounding me and making me feel worse is not going to help matters._

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Jenny looked at her watch as she realized that Abby hadn't called her yet. As she reached for her phone, it rang and she answered it immediately.

"Mam, I need you to come down to the lab." Abby said.

"On my way." Jenny was out of her seat as she hung up.

As she entered the lab she asked, "Do you have a location?"

"Mm, No…" Abby replied as she typed furiously on her computer keyboard.

"Than what am I doing here?" Jenny asked in frustration reminding Abby of Gibbs.

"You're here because I narrowed the search perimeter to a 125mile radius starting from Manaus and ending at Tefe, in the west." Abby said as she uploaded a map of the Amazon.

"125 square miles! That's a massive search area. Can't you narrow it further?" Jenny asked.

"No, because as the plane lost altitude it could have veered off into any direction. And we can't afford to miss a spot. We just can't because then we might miss them and then they will die and I don't know what I'd do if Gibbs died. I mean his just such a strong person and he's always been there for me. How would I survive if I knew that I missed a spot? No! We need to search the whole area and you have to make them search the whole area and they have to start _NOW!_" Abby cried out, her voice rising as her fear got the better of her.

Jenny looked at her and realized that Abby was just as terrified as she was. After all, Abby idolized Gibbs. He was her hero and protector. And Ziva was her friend.

"Okay Abby, sent this information to Tony and also upload it to the NCIS office in Brazil. Then speak to the other agencies and tell them what we need so that the search parties can move out." Jenny ordered. "We'll find them Abby." She added more for herself then Abby.

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Back at the crash sight, Ziva woke up to the murmurs and trashing of the person next to her. She turned around quickly at first, but the pang in her side warned her that that was not a good idea. The storm had run its course and had left a steady rainfall in its wake. Ziva searched around for the torch Sergio had given her earlier. As soon as her hand closed over it she switched it on and shone it at Gibbs' face.

He was murmuring and moaning and his red face was covered with perspiration. Ziva leaned in towards him and whispered soothingly, trying to convince him that everything was alright. But he didn't seem to hear her. She took a towel and wiped his brow as she continued whispering to him. When she touched his face she acknowledged what she had feared, his temperature was rising and he was delirious.

Gibbs was trapped in a fever induced hallucination which was throwing bits of reality mixed with his deepest fears at him.

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_He was walking away from T'ariq towards the front of the plane. Ziva was still asleep in her seat. When he reached the Business class and First class cabin, one of the other stewardess' on the flight turned to him just as T'ariq turned and saw him. _

_"Can I help you?" The stewardess politely asked. _

_"I need to speak to the captain. It's urgent." Gibbs said as he watched T'ariq, watching him. _

_"Mmm, I'm sorry Sir, passengers are not allowed to speak to the captain and nor are they allowed to enter the cockpit of the plane. If you give me your message, I will pass it onto the captain." She offered. _

_"No, I need to speak to him, now. The plane is in danger of being hijacked!" Gibbs growled as he noticed a very nervous Isam moving towards him from the other side of the plane. _

_"What, oh God! How do you know?" The stewardess looked like she was ready to pass out. Gibbs told her to remain calm and pretend that everything was okay as T'ariq and Isam closed in on them from both sides. _

_But she was too nervous and the minute Isam and T'ariq were with her, she told them what he had said. They smirked at her and told her that they would handle it and when she walked away, their eyes narrowed as they looked from Gibbs to Ziva. Isam was really jumpy and he was speaking very fast is Arabic to T'ariq. T'ariq replied sharply ordering him to move towards Ziva at the tail end of the plane and to calm down. Isam was the younger of the two and his inexperience showed. _

_"Let me escort you back to your seat, Sir." T'ariq offered as he grabbed Gibbs' arm in a vice like grip and forced him to move. At the same time Isam was looking around anxiously, his hand tucked under his steward's jacket, leaving Gibbs in no doubt about what he was holding. Gibbs moved quietly with T'ariq, not wanting to draw attention to himself or to spook the other passengers. _

_Isam's eyes darted around the plane and his hand twitched under his jacket. Ziva chose that moment to wake up and move, causing Isam's panic to heighten and he pulled out his gun. But with it he also pulled out a small remote device. _

_"No, Isam!" T'ariq shouted. _

_But before either he or Gibbs could react, Isam fired 3 rounds, two hitting the window and shattering it and the third hitting Ziva. Simultaneously a loud explosion was heard at the front of the plane and the aircraft launched violently, at the unexpected lose of pressure. Amidst the panicked cries of the passengers, Gibbs pulled free of T'ariq's grasp and fisted him in his midriff. But then the plane launched again throwing both of them forward and that was when everything spiraled out of control and ended in pain and blackness. _

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_"Ziva!"_ Gibbs cried out in his delirium as he shook his head from side to side. Ziva tried to comfort him as best she could. She even shouted at him to get him to snap out of it, but nothing worked. He continued to call out and thrash around throwing his blankets off.

When she leaned in to pull his blankets up, what she saw made her cry out in horror, _"Oh God, Gibbs!"_

In the blink of an eye she was up and moving towards the opening of the wreck.

"Eduardo, I need you!" She cried out in desperation.

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_Author's Note : _

_That's it for this chapter. _

_What's wrong with Gibbs? Will Tony and McGee overcome their fears and will they find Gibbs and Ziva in time? _

_Stay tuned to find out and as always… Review ASAP…. Thanks!_


	11. Chapter 11

_**Author's Note:**_

_**Thank you for all the great reviews.**_

_**Here's the next chapter, Enjoy and Review ASAP….. Thanks!**_

-------------------------------------------------------

When Ducky returned to the room he immediately sensed the tension in the air. McGee and Tony were not even looking at each other. Tony seemed engrossed with whatever was happening outside the hotel window in the rain while McGee's attention was focused on his laptop. He was typing away furiously as if he was just a moment away from a major breakthrough.

"Dinner is served, gentlemen. I suggest we eat and then retire for a few hours so that we will be fresh and ready once we get a location from the Brazilian military." Ducky said as he handed each man a takeout box.

Tony opened his first and grimaced, "What is this?"

"_Picanha com batata doce frita."_ Ducky said in his best Brazilian accent.

"What?" McGee asked as he too had opened his meal.

"Steak and fried sweet potatoes." Ducky said in English. "I've been told that it is a staple meal in Brazil and very tasty." He continued as he opened his box and began to eat. Tony and McGee also ate and both silently acknowledged that the meal wasn't all that bad. Once they were done, Ducky handed them a cola bottle labelled, Guarana Juice.

"I'd rather have coffee." Tony chirped even as he accepted the drink.

"It will be delivered within the next few moments." Ducky said as he and McGee had their drinks.

A few moments later the coffee was delivered but to Tony's disappointment it was served in a small cup. What was worse was that it was dark, thick and sickly sweet.

_Gibbs would have loved this. It's no wonder he carries his own stash of caffeine where ever he goes._ Tony thought as he realized just how welcome a slap to the back of his head would be right now.

As McGee returned to his laptop, he noticed that he had just received a new file and it was in the process of being uploading. A moment later his phone rang.

"McGee." He answered immediately as Tony and Ducky looked expectantly at him.

"Tim, I've just forwarded a file to you. Did you get it?" Abby asked as she tapped her fingers on her lab table.

"It's coming through now." McGee replied.

"Good. I've triangulated the search area and marked off a 125 square mile radius. Gibbs and Ziva are somewhere in that space and you and Tony need to hurry up and find them." Abby said the fear and strain clearly evident in her voice.

"125 square miles! That's a huge search area. Have you uploaded this to Esmeralda's office?" McGee quickly asked. Just then Tony's phone started ringing.

"_DiNozzo!" he answered_

"Yes, McGee. I've sent it to the NCIS office in Manaus." Abby replied.

"_Agent DiNozzo, It is Esmeralda."_

"_What have you got for us?" Tony asked ready to move._

"Do you have anything else for us?" McGee asked Abby as he opened the file which had finished uploading.

"I spoke to the FBI and CIA and they confirmed that their offices in Brazil were going to be sending 2 search and rescue choppers to Manaus and that you and Tony would be allowed to use these choppers as you saw fit." Abby replied,

"_Agent DiNozzo, the Military escorts will be ready within the next hour." Esmeralda said._

"_Where do we leave from and have they got a location for us?" Tony asked. _

Ducky listened to both agents' conversations as he cleared up their empty takeout boxes.

"Okay, Abby thanks." McGee said as he prepared to hang up.

"McGee you'd better keep in touch with me and … and you'd better find them!" Abby said as she failed to control the tremor in her voice.

"I will and we will." McGee said with a sense of conviction he didn't feel. Then he hung up and scanned the open file on his laptop.

"_We will depart from the Manaus International Airport. There will be 5 search and rescue helicopters. Each helicopter will have a pilot, a military escort, a paramedic and one of us. That will leave room for at least 4 injured passengers. The flights will last anywhere from 90 minutes to 180 minutes depending on the location that we are searching. Your office has forwarded us a search area of 125 square mile. Therefore each helicopter will have a dedicated area 25 square miles to check." Esmeralda advised._

"_Okay, we'll be waiting for you to pick us up." Tony replied as he hung up._

"That was…" Tony started to say, as McGee said, "Abby just…"

"You first." Tony indicated that McGee should continue. He knew that he had been out of line earlier and he didn't want to throw rank into McGee's face now that they were on the verge of starting the search.

"Abby's just sent through a file with the search area." McGee said finally meeting Tony's eyes.

"And?" Tony prompted.

"The FBI and CIA have allocated a chopper each to help with the search." McGee stated.

"Okay so that gives us 7 choppers, because the military is organising 5. We will each be on one copper and Esmeralda and the other Brazilian based NCIS agents will be on the other four. Once the site is located all the remaining choppers will be directed to it. We leave in the next 45 minutes, so grab whatever you think you'll need and be ready to move." Tony ordered as he looked at his watch and realized that it was just after 1pm.

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Back at the crash site, Eduardo and Milena rushed into the wreckage where Agent Gibbs and Officer David were.

"What is wrong Ziva?" Eduardo asked as he kneeled next to her and looked down at Gibbs.

"He's leg's bleeding, and the fever's getting worse." Ziva said as she reached out and mopped Gibbs' brow again. He turned his face and rested his heated cheek in her hand for a moment before shivering and turning away.

"Milena, I need more light in here. Get Sergio and Felipe to help with that. I will also need boiling water and salt to clean the wound as I have run out of disinfectant." Eduardo said as he moved to Gibbs' leg and peeled the blanket away.

The bandages at the wound site were soaked with blood. But there also seemed to be a yellowish tinge to the bandage. As soon as Sergio and Felipe arrived and switched on a few torches around Gibbs, Eduardo cut his bandages away.

"Argh that is _asqueroso!_" Felipe gagged at the sight of the wound. It was oozing blood and thick yellowish pus.

"How will you treat this?" Ziva asked, separating her emotions from the task at hand.

_We will have to do whatever is necessary to save Gibbs' life, even if it means he will have to lose a leg! Oh God, please don't let it come to that!_

"The wound had become _séptico_. We will have to cleanse and _quemadura - _cauterise it immediately. Then if the fever does not subside and if the wounds become _séptico _again, we will have to think about _prescindir _– separating his leg from his body." Eduardo informed Ziva, his voice confirming that Gibbs would then most likely die anyway, unless they were rescued before other infections set in.

"_NO ONE'S TAKING MY LEG!"_ Gibbs growled shocking everyone with how coherent he suddenly was.

"_Did you hear me?"_ he asked as he stared Eduardo dead in the eye. Eduardo nodded, hoping that he would not be forced to take that action.

"Good!" Gibbs shivered as he closed his eyes against the intense pain ripping through his leg and head and the cold shivers race up and down his spine. Ziva looked at Eduardo and nodded her head indicating that he should cauterise the wound without delay.

Then she turned her attention to Gibbs as she wrapped another blanket around him and snuggled close to him. He opened his eyes and looked at her. She leaned closer to him, caressing his cheek before brushing her lips against his forehead, in a gesture meant to comfort, and reassure him. He stared at her to a second longer, before his eyes fluttered close and his cheek ended up resting in her warm palm.

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_**Author's Note:**_

_**That's it for this chapter**_

_**Stay tuned for the next chapter, where the search begins and Gibbs' wound will be cauterised.**_

_**And as always, please review soon….**_


	12. Chapter 12

_**Author's Note:**_

_**Thank you for all the reviews and private messages although they have been few and far between.**_

_**Here's the next chapter, Enjoy and Review soon…. Thanks!**_

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Fornell entered the busy NCIS bullpen and saw four unfamiliar faces. He bounded up the stairs, two at as time and then made his way to Jenny's office.

"Director." He greeted as he took a seat at the boardroom table.

Jenny stared at him for a second before asking, "Fornell, isn't it a little late or should I say early for you to be here?"

"I just flew in from Paris and heard about the plane that went down in Brazil. Do you have any news on the rescue efforts?" Fornell asked.

Although he and Gibbs never saw eye to eye in the past, they had eventually become really good and close friends.

"The search area is 125 square miles and 5 rescue choppers are going out about now." Jenny stated. She was tired, restless and worried and she was also furious with the FBI. In a way she was glad that Fornell was here so she could take out her frustration on him.

"Where's DiNutzo and McGee?" Fornell asked as he ran a hand over his face.

"They're in Manaus, joining the search party." She replied as she stood up and refilled her glass with bourbon. She didn't bother to offer Fornell anything. He stood up and helped himself.

"So Agent Fornell, have you heard any rumours floating around South America about an impending attack on American soil?" Jenny casually asked as she observed Fornell's body language.

"Just the usual stuff. Why, what have you heard?" Fornell stiffened as he turned to face her.

"Oh I've heard that the FBI has been investigating at least 3 Al-Qaeda cells, two in Argentina and one in Brazil, for the last 6 months. I've also heard that you've got at least one FBI agent working undercover in each cell and that you were aware that the attack was planned for this month!" Jenny's voice grew as she slammed her bourbon glass onto her desk and stood up leaning halfway across her desk.

"I didn't…" Fornell started to say but Jenny cut him off, "Don't you dare think about lying to me Fornell, not today!"

Fornell stared at Jenny and then sat down again. He took a deep swallow of bourbon, grimaced and then said, "We've been investigating 3 cells and yes we knew about an impending attack. But how the hell were we suppose to even anticipate that NCIS would have 2 agents on a commercial flight from Argentina to the U.S. and that that was the flight that was in all likelihood going to be used in the attack. And if it was to be used in the attack, what the hell happened to cause it to go down somewhere over the Amazon?"

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out. And you'd better make sure that I get details of everything the FBI uncovers!" Jenny said as she grabbed her jacket and left her office.

"Bloody hell Jethro! Why must you always end up right in the thick of things?" Fornell growled, before downing the rest of his bourbon and leaving the NCIS building.

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At about the same time, somewhere in the Amazon basin, a hand full of people, were rushing furiously around a very sick Agent Gibbs.

"Place this knife into boiling water for the next 5 minutes. Then place it into the fire and heat it." Eduardo ordered Sergio as he handed him what looked like a hunting knife. As the rain had subsided over the last few moments, Felipe had volunteered to get the fires going again.

"Milena I need another kettle of boiling water and where is the _salado_. Add it to the boiling water so that we can start cleansing the wound and draining the _contaminado_ blood." Eduardo continued.

Ziva held onto Gibbs' hand and he squeezed it, trying to reassure her despite his dire situation.

"Agent Gibbs I need you to lie on your side." Eduardo said as he and Ziva helped Gibbs to turn to his side. The slight movement caused Gibbs' head to spin and his gag reflexes to kick in. He swallowed convulsively as Eduardo placed his throbbing leg onto a pillow.

"Here's the salty boiled water, towels, scalpel and a dose of Ibuprofen for the fever. We could also give him Morphine before we start." Milena stated as she looked at the trembling body of the NCIS Agent.

"Yes, give him 15cc of Morphine and then let us begin." Eduardo stated.

Gibbs took a shuddering breath as cold filtered through his body. Milena moved to Gibbs' back and tried to pull his pants down in order to administer the Morphine. But it was too tightly belted.

"Ziva please undo his belt and the button on his trouser so that I can give him this injection." Milena asked.

Although Ziva didn't look at Gibbs' face as she reached for his pants, his eyes were glued to hers. As she unbuckled his belt and then undid the button on his trouser, she felt and heard his shallow breath. She blushed despite the situation not warranting such a reaction. After all it wasn't like she was undressing him in order to have her way with him. That thought caused her blush to deepen.

"Thank you." Milena said as she pulled Gibbs' pants down to reveal half of his firm, white butt. When Gibbs saw Ziva's eyes move to his exposed butt, he felt a welcome sensation of heat invade his body.

"Agent Gibbs, I'm giving you a small injection. It will make the rest of what Eduardo's going to do more bearable." That said, Milena forced the needle into Gibbs butt and pressed down on the plunger until all of the fluid in the syringe had been administered.

Gibbs' only reaction was the slight tensing of his body which was the last thing he should have done as it sent pain spiralling pain up and down his leg.

_It's going to get worse once Eduardo starts poking and prodding my blasted leg! _He thought unable to suppress the shiver that raced through his body. Ziva sensed Gibbs' growing anxiety and leaned down to his face as Milena pulled his pants up.

Ziva placed a hand on his cheek and whispered, "You will survive this, Gibbs! I won't let you give up. Did you hear me, Gibbs?"

Gibbs took a deep, steadying breathe before he whispered, "Officer David, I give … the orders … not you. Or did you … forget who's … your Boss?"

Gibbs' response brought a smile to Ziva's face. She leaned in and kissed his cheek before saying, "You're team leader, yes. But as you are not at full strength, I'll be in charge for the time being."

Then she kissed him again. The more she kissed him, the more she wanted to keep kissing him. Gibbs smirked despite what was about to happen to him. The morphine was also starting to take effect lulling him into a false sense of comfort and making his words flow freely from his lips.

"_I think it … could be fun … being pushed … around by you. In fact … I can't wait … for you to …"_ Gibbs' whisper ended in a gasp of pain as his eyes squeezed tightly shut.

Eduardo took a hold of Gibbs' ankle without any pre-warning.

"Here we go." He said as he handed the leather belt to Ziva. She placed it between Gibbs' already clenching teeth as she whispered, "Just hang in there, Gibbs. It will be over before you know."

Then she moved her hand to a point at the base of his neck and pressed down firmly. Within two seconds Gibbs was out cold. Felipe observed this with interest but didn't say anything.

Eduardo worked quickly. First he cleaned around the wound site with boiled, hot salted water, causing Gibbs to jerk in his unconscious state. Sergio and Felipe stabilized Gibbs' movements by holding his leg still. Ziva held onto his face, her palms against his cheeks and her fingers wrapped around his chin, keeping the leather belt between his teeth.

Eduardo then took up his scalpel and made an incision at the side of each wound. Gibbs growled at the sharp, pointed pain as he came violently awake.

Ziva swore in Hebrew as she thought, _you were supposed to remain unconscious throughout this ….. _

"Gibbs its okay. Calm down. We're treating your leg. Just lie still." Ziva quickly whispered as Gibbs struggled against the people holding him down. Ziva continued to hold onto his face as she watched comprehension dawn in his pain filled eyes.

Thick yellow pus, mixed with blood oozed out of the two wounds. Milena pressed down from one side of each wound and forced the muck out through the open cut. Gibbs eyes' rounded and lightened as the pain intensified tenfold. Milena kept pressing, despite Gibbs' growls and flailing hand, which Felipe took a hold of.

Milena knew that she had to get all of the contaminated blood out, or the infection would just set in again. But that didn't make what she was doing any easier.

"_Oh Dios,_ I am so sorry, Señor Gibbs!" Milena whispered as tears ran down her cheeks.

"You're doing good Milena, the bloods running _claro_ now. You can stop applying pressure." Eduardo said.

As soon as Milena had removed the pus and blood soaked towels Eduardo drizzled salty water over the wound to cleanse it. Gibbs tensed and jerked in Sergio, Felipe and Ziva's hands as the fiery water burnt his raw flesh. The three assistants just held him down as best as they could.

Despite the salt in the water, the wounds didn't stop bleeding.

Eduardo sighed heavily as he ordered, "Milena, bring the knife. The rest of you hold him down tightly. This is going to be _muy_ painful for Agent Gibbs."

Tears gathered in Ziva's eyes as Gibbs took one, two, three steadying breathes. He knew what was about to happen and he hoped that he passed out before the worst was done. Ziva watched him and felt his breath on her hands. She leaned into his face and whispered, "You remember that you have to pull through this. I won't accept any excuses Gunny."

Then she straightened up and moved her hand to the base of his neck once again. His focus on her face cleared for one second before he passed out again.

_Don't wake up this time Gibbs. Please just stay in the blessed darkness._

Milena handed the scorching hot knife to Eduardo. He nodded his head to Sergio, Felipe and Ziva and then touched the tip of the knife to Gibbs' skin. Gibbs' body twitched and shuddered as his flesh burnt but to the immense relief of all he didn't wake up.

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_**Author's Note:**_

_**That's all for this chapter.**_

_**The next chapter focuses on Tony and rescue efforts.**_

_**So let me know that you guys are still interested by reviewing ASAP…. Thanks!**_


	13. Chapter 13

_**Author's Note: **_

_**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews. And I'm sorry for the delay in posting this chapter but real life's just become really busy.**_

_**Anyway, enjoy and review soon…. Thanks!**_

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"I can't see a damn thing! Can't you fly lower?" Tony asked in frustration.

They had been in the air for the last 30 minutes and he had not been able to see anything through the trees. The only thing to break the endless green was the mucky water snaking through the foliage.

They had taken over an hour to get from the hotel back to the airport. Then they had to wait for the 2 agency choppers to arrive which had meant another 25 minute delay. Tony felt like a caged bear and he snapped and growled at everyone in sight. McGee paced up and down the tarmac, his fingers curling and uncurling as he wished he had some kind of an electronic gadget in his hand that could somehow immediately pinpoint the crash. Ducky watched the two younger men as he tried to keep calm and to keep his fledgling hopes alive. Esmeralda and Hernandez, the other NCIS agent based in Manaus, were calm and relaxed throughout the wait and their response fueled the U.S. agent's agitation.

By the time the agency choppers finally arrived, Tony and McGee were both in a black mood. Ducky's comments to lighten the situation fell on deaf ears so he just ignored them as he got into one of the choppers. All seven choppers departed together, each heading for his designated area of the 125 square miles. They planned on starting at the outskirts and working their way to the centre of the search area.

"_Nada do nada."_ Tony heard the pilot say for the 5th time as they flew over more green forest. Tony had his binoculars glued to his eyes as he continued to scan the tops of the trees. His frustration would not let up.

_Damn it! There must be something to see. I mean a commercial aircraft couldn't just disappear even in this bloody forest! _Tony mentally raged.

In the other chopper a few hundred miles away, McGee learned that the pilot was using heat sensing radar equipment to trace life forms on the ground. So far they had found 4 rural villages on the water's edge. When McGee asked why they had not approached them, the pilot informed him in broken English, that if the villages had heard anything, they would have all been heading to the crash site. The fact that the villagers, in particular the men, were still in the village indicated that they had not heard anything.

_Boss, Ziva we will find you. I just wish it could be sooner rather then later._

In the third chopper, Ducky sighed for the 4th time in as many minutes.

_We're going to have to turn back soon, to refuel. And so far none of the choppers have noted anything. Oh God, please left us find them before it's too late!_ Ducky prayed as he looked at the beautiful, yet harsh land below.

Back in the first chopper, Tony growled, "We need to look a bit further. Hey what are you doing?"

"_Senor_, we have to turn back. _Necesitamos más combustible, _gas in low." The pilot informed Tony.

Tony slapped his leg in frustration as he realized that all the choppers would be turning back around now and none of them had found anything.

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Back at the crash site, Ziva woke slowly. Her body was stiff and aching. As she sat up, the events of the last 24 hours replayed in her mind. She looked around and found Maria, the stewardess, wringing out a cloth and then placing it on Gibbs' forehead. His face was flushed and his lips were quivering. His blankets had been removed and Ziva could see his clothes clinging to his damp body.

"Did he wake up while I was asleep?" Ziva asked as she reached out and placed a hand against Gibbs' heated cheek.

"No, Señorita. His _fiebre _is very high and he was _muy agitado_ for the last 2 hours." Maria said as she used another cloth and ran it over Gibbs' now exposed chest and arms.

The sight of her Maria's hands on Gibbs' body made Ziva instantly jealous. Her strong reaction surprised her and she realized that she needed to get out of there before she forcibly removed Maria's hands from Gibbs body.

_Stop Ziva. She is only helping Jethro._

Gibbs moaned and the sight of him hurting and helpless become too much for Ziva to bear.

_I have to find a way out of this place. I have to find help!_

Her mind made up, she pushed herself into a sitting position before pulling herself up onto her legs. She almost toppled over, her weak legs refusing to support her body and her side screaming in protest at being stretched. When Maria reached out to her, she growled, "I'm fine!" and brushed her hands away. Maria nodded her head and returned her hands to Gibbs' chest.

It took Ziva another few minutes to feel stable on her feet. Then she turned and walked out of the wreck and into the bright sunlight. The first thing she noticed was the buzzing of millions of insects. Next was the suffocating heat and rich fragrance of soil and greenery. Then she noticed the people milling around the camp area. Some were hurt and others were seeing to their needs. Then there was Sergio and Felipe. They seem to be working on what looked like a radio.

"What are you doing?" Ziva asked as she reached them and sank down on to the ground next to them.

"We're trying to fix this radio to use as a transmitter." Sergio replied.

"How is Agent Gibbs?" Felipe asked has he observed Ziva cradling her side.

_I hope that he is closer to death's door and that he will save me the trouble of killing him once the rescue workers find us. I can not let him get back to American soil and tell his NCIS bosses what we are planning. It is true that I do not know for sure whether he knows anything. But I can not take that risk. My brothers and I have been planning this for far too long and if Isam had not panicked our plan would have already been taking shape now! _Felipe lamented the delay.

"He has a high fever and is still unconscious." Ziva replied not noticing the grin that spread across Felipe's face.

"Does anyone have any ideas on where we are and in which direction we should be heading to get out of here?" Ziva continued.

"No. All Maria said was we were flying over the Amazon when the explosion took place." Sergio replied, his eyes communicating his hopes that Gibbs would pull through this terrible ordeal.

Just then they heard what sounded like a chopper.

Ziva and Sergio, together with half the people in the camp stood up and listened intently. They started moving towards the waters edge in an effort to draw attention to their location. The sound of the chopper was coming from a few miles in front of them.

Ziva broke away from crowd of people standing on the waters edge. She ignored Sergio and Milena's shouts that she should not enter the water as no one knew what lurked below.

Ziva blocked out every sound except that of the approaching chopper.

_They have to see us! This may be our only chance to get out of here, our only chance to save Gibbs' life. I have to make them see us!_

"Ziva get out of the water, _por Dios!_" Eduardo shouted as he rushed to the waters edge.

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"Wait, I think I saw something!" Tony shouted as a reflection from the water below caught his eye.

"No, we have to return to the _aeropuerto, _Senor." The pilot replied as he increased altitude and turned the chopper around.

"No! I'm telling you, there's something down there!" Tony growled as he turned in his seat and used his binoculars to scan the water.

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"Over here! Hey, please look down here! We're here! You have to see me! We're here!" Ziva shouted repeatedly, the water lapping at her waist now.

"Ziva, get out of the water _inmediatamente_!" Eduardo shouted.

"No, they have to see … _argh_!" Ziva cried out as her hands flew above her head a second before she disappeared under the water.

"_Ziva!"_ Sergio and Eduardo shouted simultaneously as they entered the water at a run.

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_**Author's Note:**_

_**That's it for now.**_

_**What's happened to Ziva? **__**And will Tony get back to the crash site in time to save Gibbs?**_

_**Stay tuned and review ASAP to find out…. Thanks!**_


	14. Chapter 14

**_Author's Note : _**

**_Thank you for all the great reviews. You guys keep me so excited and motivated about my stories that I actually focused on typing this chapter for half a day instead of doing my regular job! _**

**_Here's the next chapter, Enjoy and as always review soon…. Thanks! _**

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Ziva felt the pinpricks of a hundred tiny, razor sharp teeth a nanosecond before a heavy jaw clamped over her right calf. And then she was pulled down under the water line. She struggled, reaching for her belt in an effort to get to her knife. When her hand came up empty, she remembered that she had surrendered all her weapons to the pilot before take off.

That was when she reached down and tried to dislodge the creature with her fingers. But it was too strong and didn't give an inch. Ziva knew she had to pull herself up to get a breath of air so she starting trashing her legs out, trying to dislodge the foreign creature. But the more she struggled the deeper the teeth sank until she was sure that her leg had been ripped off.

Ziva kicked out violently and managed to break through the waters surface. She had barely a second to gulp a breath of air, before the creature pulled her under again. Then the creature became more aggressive as it started wrapping itself around Ziva's struggling body, squeezing the very breath out of her lungs.

She was weakening, her breath almost replete, her body being crushed and her leg ripped to shreds. Her last conscious thought was _I'll miss you, Gibbs._

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Eduardo and Sergio reached the spot where Ziva had disappeared within a few seconds. Everyone on land watched in horror as Sergio and Eduardo also disappeared under the water line. When they resurfaced, Eduardo had Ziva with him. As soon as Sergio re-surfaced Eduardo gasped for breathe as both man saw a heavy slithering tail coil around Ziva's neck.

"_Serpiente, Anaconda!" _Eduardo gasped. Sergio dived under the water again and as terrified as he was, he struck out at the anaconda. When that did nothing, Sergio used his thumbs and pressed hard onto the snakes eyes. The snake uncoiled from Ziva's body and slithered away instantly.

Sergio and Eduardo rushed to get an unconscious Ziva back to land as quickly as they could. Milena and Magdalena met them at the water's edge and helped them to get Ziva onto the ground as the rest of the crowd watched in terror. Ziva's leg and side were bleeding profusely and Milena screamed for someone to get towels to use to stem the bleeding.

"_Ella no respira!" _ Magdalena cried out.

Eduardo wasted not time straddling Ziva's hips.

"Milena, breathe for her!" He ordered as he placed his hands just below her ribs. Milena tilted Ziva's head back, opening her airway. She clamped her nose shut and then forced a breath of air into Ziva's mouth. As soon as she removed her mouth from Ziva's Eduardo pressed down hard and fast on Ziva's midsection, praying that the water lodged in her lungs would be expelled.

"_Oh Dios,_ Ziva you need to breathe. _Please_!" Milena cried before leaning forward again and forcing another breathe of air into Ziva's mouth.

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Back at NCIS head office, Jenny was back in MTAC speaking to Mario.

"Director, the rescue helicopters are in the air. But so far they have not located anything." Mario said before taking a long swallow of his soda.

"Mario, don't waste my time with information I already have. What have you got on the Al Qaeda cell?" Jenny asked disgusted that she had to rely on this slob for information.

"I have learnt that the target was to be a public area so that there would be many civilian casualties. I do not have a city or building name as yet." Mario replied, as he placed a plate with soggy French fries on his protruding belly.

"How has Al Qaeda reacted to the crash?" Jenny asked as she turned away from the screen for a moment.

"Oh, there is a buzz, but no one is saying anything concrete. I would say that the attack on American soil will still take place. It may be delayed but they will not back down just because of this small setback." Mario stated before stuffing a handful fries into his mouth.

"Call me back when you have something I can use!" Jenny stated as she ordered the feed to be cut. She made her way back to her office and asked Cynthia to get Fornell on the line.

Jenny was exhausted as she had not slept more than 2 hours the previous night. She was also anxious and irritated that the rescue workers had found nothing yet.

"Director, I have Agent Fornell on the line." Cynthia said.

"Put him through." Jenny said. "Fornell, do you have anything you would like to share with me?"

"The rescue choppers are turning back to refuel. So far they have nothing to report." Fornell stated. Jenny closed her eyes in frustration as her fears overwhelmed her, o_h Gibbs, Ziva. Will we ever find you? _

"Director, are you okay?" Fornell asked when Jenny remained quiet for a while.

"Fornell, I need to commandeer the FBI jet. I want you to arrange it so it's ready and waiting at Manaus International Airport. The minute Gibbs and Ziva are found I want them airlifted and brought to Washington." Jenny stated.

"I've already arranged it. The plane's standing ready and fuelled on the tarmac as we speak." Fornell replied surprising Jenny. _I guess you do care about Jethro after all. _

"I'll arrange with NCIS in Manaus to have two Doctors and nurses on boarder to see to Gibbs and Ziva. Can you arrange for what ever meds and medical equipment they may need?" Jenny asked.

"Will do, Jenny." Fornell said as he hung up.

Jenny took a deep breathe before asking Cynthia to get Agent Grisham to come up to her office so that she could get an update on the Al Qaeda angle of the investigation.

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Eduardo pressed down hard on Ziva's lungs for the third time and this time she gagged and gasped as dark, mucky water bubbled out of her mouth. She coughed and gasped as Milena turned her to her side so that she could expel all the water.

As soon as the coughing fit subsided, Ziva collapsed back against Milena gulping each breath. Her head was pounding and her side and leg were on fire. And she was shivering.

"_Throw …..debris into …. shhhh …. water …. so they'll…. see us when … shhh…they return. Do it …. shhh …now!"_ Ziva ordered.

"I'll do it." Sergio replied, having recovered somewhat from his fight with the anaconda.

"We must remove her clothes and get her dry." Milena stated as Ziva shivered in her arms.

"Felipe, Juan, help us get her inside the plane. Then bring whatever clothes you can find and blankets. Lidia, bring warm water so that we can wipe her down and Eduardo, you should change too and then come and examine her wounds." Magdalena said as she held a towel against Ziva's leg and Felipe held another towel against her side.

As they lifted her, Ziva couldn't hold back a gasp as pain radiated up and down her leg is fiery ripples.

"_Shhh, Senorita_. We will have you warm and pain free soon." Magdalena cooed as they got Ziva into the wreck where Gibbs was battling a high fever.

"What happened to Senorita Ziva?" Maria asked as Ziva was placed on the floor near Gibbs. Gibbs heard Maria and opened his eyes, turning his head to look for Ziva.

"_Ziva!"_ He whispered as he noted her pale pain pinched face and the blood staining her side and leg.

"_Ziva!!"_ He whispered again as he reached his trembling hand out to her ignoring the pain that sliced up his leg. She turned to look at him and smiled despite her pain as she took his hand into hers.

"_I will … shhh … be okay. It is just … shhh … just a … scratch_." Ziva lied.

"A scratch? _Mon Dios!_ She was attacked by a serpent and she almost drowned!" Magdalena, the mother hen in the group, informed everyone.

"_What!"_ Gibbs gasped as he squeezed Ziva's hand tightly, disbelief and terror rising in his soul.

"_I'm shhh okay."_ Ziva tried to reassure Gibbs.

As soon as Lidia arrived with the warm water, Magdalena reached for Ziva's t-shirt and lifted it up to her chest. Gibbs' eyes locked with Ziva's and she blushed as she realized that she was being undressed in front of her Boss. No not just he Boss. In last few hours she had started seeing him as something other then just her Boss.

"Milena, lift Ziva's head." Magdalena said as she slipped the t-shirt over Ziva's head.

"Milena undo her bra. It is tied in the back." Magdalena said. Ziva closed her eyes as Gibbs continued to watch her. As soon as her bra was removed, Magdalena ran a warm cloth over her cold flesh and cleaned the dirty off her body.

Gibbs couldn't tear his fevered gaze away from Ziva's exposed body. She looked soft and supple. Her breasts were firm and her pointed nipples were the colour of newly blossoming rosebuds. Gibbs knew that it was wrong to look but she was just so…so beautiful.

Ziva's body flooded with heat, whether from the warm cloth or Gibbs' gaze she wasn't sure. Then she was turned onto her side and Gibbs continued to watch as Magdalena ran the cloth down her back caressing the gentle swells of her butt.

"There we go. Milena wrap this blanket over her while I see to her legs." Magdalena said as she handed the blanket to Milena. Then her hands were at Ziva's waist and she was removing her pants and black lacy panties. Gibbs watched as Ziva's hips and thighs were revealed.

Ziva gasped in pain as Magdalena slipped her pants off her injured leg and Magdalena apologized profusely, before taking the cloth and wiping her down. Gibbs's breath caught at the site of Ziva naked and exposed and he wished that it was his hands running the warm cloth over her flesh.

His blood warmed and his breathing became heavier. He knew that he should stop looking, but God she was just so sexy, slim, fair and beautiful. And he wanted her. The thought shocked and surprised him, like nothing else could.

He squeezed her hand as Magdalena wrapped the blanket over the rest of her body. Ziva opened her eyes, her cheeks stained pink as she looked at Gibbs.

He mouthed one word, _"Beautiful!"_ before his eyes slipping closed as a sharp jab of pain raced up his leg.

In the next moment, Eduardo entered the wreck and kneeled down next to Ziva. He examined her waist and stated that he would need to clean and re-stitch the wound. Then he moved to her leg and started examining it. As he poked and prodded the wound, Ziva gasped and moaned out in pain. Gibbs held onto her hand, trying to offer what little support he could.

"_Oh Dios_ Ziva. You have numerous tiny teeth rooted in this wound. I am going to have to remove each one. Milena, check through all the mediation we were able to find if we have any schedule 4 or 5 painkillers. Ziva, this is going to be _muy_ painful, so I want you to drink at least 4 shots of whiskey before I start." Eduardo said before leaving the plane to go and retrieve the first aid kit.

_"Teeth?!"_ Gibbs whispered the haze of fever crowding in on his senses, preventing him from understanding the extent of her wounds.

"Sí Señor, Anacondas have 100's of teeth and they get left behind in their victims. Señorita Ziva is very lucky Eduardo and Sergio were able to force the _serpiente_ to leave her. Else she would be filling the belly of the _serpiente r_ight now." Magdalena said causing Ziva and Gibbs to shiver is shock.

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**_Author's Note: _**

**_That's it for this chapter. _**

**_The next chapter focuses on Tony, McGee and Ducky and or course on removing the teeth from Ziva's leg. It's going to be painful…. _**

**_So stay tuned and review ASAP…. Thanks!_**


	15. Chapter 15

**_Author's Note: _**

****

**_Thank you for all the fantastic reviews. You guys are great. _**

**_Sorry for the delay in updating but time just seems to be in short supply these days. _**

****

**_Anyway, here's the next installment. Enjoy and as always, please review soon. Thanks! _**

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"This is insane. We need to go back. I saw something in the water and it could be a clue to where the wreck might be!" Tony growled to the pilot.

"_Señor_, please. We have to return before we run out of fuel." The pilot shouted back.

"Agent DiNozzo you are distracting the pilot. Now sit back and calm down." The military officer on the chopper ordered.

"Hey, my Boss and partner are lost and in all likelihood hurt out there and you want me to calm down!" Tony growled getting into the officer's face. The officer placed his hand on Tony's chest and forcibly pushed him back.

"This is not your America so your American rudeness won't do you any good here. Sit back and shut up else I will have you escorted to a holding facility until the search is over." The officer sneered as he looked at Tony with black, fathomless eyes.

Tony backed off and decided that they would be up in the air soon after refueling so it was probably only a matter of an hour or so before they got back to the spot along the Amazon River where he had seen something.

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Back at NCIS head quarters, Jenny spoke with Agent Grisham and learnt that there could have been at least one if not 2 more Al Qaeda members on the flight. They had scanned the passenger list and so far they had one name to add to the list, Yaseen Altoub. NCIS in Argentina was preparing a report on Yaseen and were due to sent it to Agent Grisham within the next few hours. In the meantime NCIS in Spain had just raised the alert level by stopping a flight destined for JFK International. The grounded aircraft was being scanned for explosives and all the passengers had been removed to a secure holding area at Madrid Barajas International Airport.

After speaking to Grisham and insisting that she needed answers within the hour, Jenny made her way to the coffee shop. She ordered strong black coffee for herself and a Caf-Pow for Abby. As she drank Gibbs' drink of choice, she thought about him.

He had been surprised when she had comeback to NCIS head quarters as his Boss. At first neither had been sure about whether they would continue what had ended years ago in Paris. But as time progressed both of them realized that they had changed and their circumstances had changed so although they would never share intimacy again, they would always remain close friends. But on those cold and lonely nights, it was memories of Gibbs excellent lovemaking skills that kept Jenny warm and safe.

As Jenny left the coffee shop her phone rang.

"Yes."

"Madam, I need you to come to the lab please." Abby said her voice low, her fear and desperation evident.

"Okay, I'll be there in 10." Jenny replied as she hurried back to the office.

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"How long will it take to refuel?" Tony asked the pilot as the chopper touched ground.

"About 15 minutes." The pilot stated once they had disembarked.

"Good, so we'll be back out there in the next half an hour." Tony confirmed as McGee and Ducky made their way to him.

"_Tengo miedo no Señor_, We will only be up in the air after an hour if not longer." The pilot said.

"What! Why?" Tony growled.

"Agent DiNozzo, please calm down." Esmeralda stated as she joined them.

"Esmeralda I am having a very difficult time understanding this guy. Did he just say that we would only be resuming the search in about an hour even though it only takes about 15 minutes to refuel?" Tony asked in very distinct and deliberate English.

"Yes. That is what he said." The military officer replied.

"Mmm, why will there be such a long delay?" McGee asked as he looked from one officer to the next. They were huge men, with no hair on their heads. Their teeth were crooked and yellowed and they carried an assortment of weapons.

"Because it is_ tiempo para el café, _Starbucks time as you Americans would say!" the officer replied and turned away while laughing with his colleague.

"Hey!" Tony shouted his anger and frustration getting the better of him, as he moved forward and placed a hand on the officer's shoulder.

"No!" Esmeralda shouted."

"Tony, don't!" McGee called out, stepping forward.

"Anthony!" Ducky's voice joined the rest.

At the touch on his shoulder, the officer whirled around and bellowed as he brought the butt of his rifle into sharp contact with Tony's gut. As Tony doubled over in agony, the barrel of the rifle connected with the side of his face, drawing blood and he was thrown backwards onto the tarmac. Ducky and McGee were at his side instantly and Tony rolled onto his side clutching his bruised side and his bleeding cheek.

Esmeralda pleaded in Spanish with the military officer and apologized for Tony's harmless actions.

"_Amonestar_, if he touches me again or _interferir_ with this search and rescue mission in anyway, I will_ arresto_ him and have him placed in the local _prisión_!" the officer threatened before turning and walking away.

"Tony, are you okay?" McGee asked as he helped Tony into a sitting position.

"Esmeralda, get one of paramedics over here, quickly please." Ducky ordered as he tilted Tony's face upwards to get a better look at the cut on his left cheek bone.

"I'm okay, Ducky. Let's get out of the sun!" Tony replied as he pulled himself to his feet rapidly.

_"Oohhh!"_ He moaned as a severe case of vertigo hit him. McGee and Ducky grabbed him on either side and lowered him to the ground.

"I'm … okay!" Tony insisted, before turning an odd shade of green and mumbling, "Maybe not!" a second before he turned to his side and wretched.

The paramedic helped McGee and Ducky carry Tony out of the sun. Once he was lowered to the ground in one of the airport hangers, the paramedic started examining him.

"_Señor_, you have a mild head trauma and bruised ribs. Here are a few aspirins. Rest for the next few moments until the _oficiales militares_ are ready to leave." The paramedic advised as Tony took the offered pills. The heat and the pain in his body, together with the unending fear for his friends were driving him crazy. Ducky stayed by his side and started telling him about what they had seen during the search. McGee also related that his pilot's chopper had heat sensing equipment and he stated, "We'll find them on the next run. I just have to believe that."

"You're right McGee. We will find them and soon." Tony replied as he closed his eyes trying to get his pounding headache under control.

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Back at the crash site, Magdalena held the second bottle of whiskey to Ziva's lips.

"Ziva, you must drink this. Eduardo will be back shortly and then the pain will _intensificar. _Oh poor _Señorita._"

Ziva gulped the foul tasting liquid and felt it leave a trail of fire from her throat to her gut.

Gibbs watched her, the haze of fever crowding in on his senses.

"Ziva… you will pull … through this. That's … an … order." Gibbs murmured as he tried to focus on her face. But everything was turning black as heat started emanating from his body and pain sizzled along his injured leg.

"I'll be okay. You just better pull through this else I'll never be able to face the rest of the team." Ziva whispered back, tears of pain rolling down her face as fear for Gibbs' welfare overwhelmed her.

"Ziva…." Gibbs' voice was filled with such longing and regret as his eyes drifted shut.

"Gibbs! Gibbs, wake up!" Ziva cried out as she pushed herself up onto her elbow and leaned in towards him.

But he was unconscious again and his body was trembling as a result of the pain and fever.

"Gibbs!" Ziva whispered as she placed her forehead against his and then kissed his cheek.

"Ziva, lie down. I have to start working on your leg. Milena…" Eduardo nodded to Milena. She took up a position at Ziva's head and placed the same leather strap that had been in Gibbs mouth, between Ziva's teeth. Ziva took a deep steadying breath, before nodding to Eduardo to begin.

Felipe stood in the shadows and smiled as Ziva's first strangled cry of agony echoed through the plane wreck.

_Maybe both of them will die within the next few hours saving me the trouble of having to dispose of them. It is just as well, as I don't know how I will be able to get to them with Maria and _ _Magdalena__ watching over them like hawks. Then once the rescue helicopters return I will be saved. Abba Altoub will be so proud of me when I call him from American soil and tell him that I am ready to set things into motion. Mmmm revenge in the name of Al Qaeda is so beautiful… _

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**_Author's Note: _**

**_That's it for this chapter. _**

**_Will Gibbs survive the next few hours? _**

**_Will Tony be able to control his anger? _**

**_Will Ziva be able to handle the pain? _**

**_Stay tuned to find out and review ASAP! Thanks!_**


	16. Chapter 16

_**Author's Note: **_

_**Sorry for the long wait. I was just so busy at work and then I got caught up completing my other story "The Unknown" **_

_**But now I will be dedicating my time to this story and "Enemy Within" So the updates should be sooner. **_

_**Thank you as always for the fabulous reviews. I really appreciate them and they keep me wanting to explore my writing on a continuous basis. **_

_**Here's the next chapter…. Enjoy and Review soon… Thanks! **_

_------------------------------------------------------------- _

_"Argh!!!!"_ Ziva moaned out in excruciating pain as Eduardo removed a deeply embedded tooth from her savaged leg. So far he had removed over 15 teeth ranging from 5millimetres up to 15 millimetres in length. The teeth were razor sharp at the pointy tip and reached a diameter of almost 5 millimetres at the root.

"Eduardo, wait a moment. Allow _Señorita_ Ziva to catch her breathe." Magdalena pleaded as she wiped the beads of perspiration dotting Ziva's forehead. Milena held Ziva's leg stable which was a good thing, because every time Eduardo touched her, Ziva was tempted to kick him away.

"Okay. Give her another 2 shots of whiskey. I'll be back in a moment to continue." Eduardo stated as he moved to look at Gibbs' leg.

Ziva knew that she was burning up. The only question was whether it was from the current trauma or an infection. She turned her head towards Gibbs and observed Eduardo's expression closely. What she saw, terrified her.

_It's bad, very bad. Oh God, Jethro can't die. He can't! _

Then Magdalena was lifting her head and forcing whiskey down her throat as she cooed soothingly to her.

Eduardo looked from Gibbs to Ziva. He wished that Ziva would pass out, but she was a very strong lady.

_Dios, if only I had something to sedate you with. There are still over 10 teeth buried in your flesh and all of them are as deep as this last one was. Oh Ziva, this wound and the one at your waist are both infected. If those helicopters don't return soon, I may be forced to perform more than one amputation. _

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"Abby, what do you have for me?" Jenny asked as she entered the lab and placed the Caf-Pow next to Abby's computer, surprising her.

"Thank you! Gibbs… _Gibbs_ always knew when I needed one on these." Abby replied as she took a long sip before turning back to her computer.

"Abby?" Jenny asked getting impatient with the lab tech.

"Oh, I've managed to redirect one of the satellites that is equipped with the latest heat sensing technology. It is mainly used for tracking the migration patterns of animals across the world. I've redirected it over the Amazon and am scanning our search area." Abby stated while furiously typing at her computer.

Jenny was impressed and she hoped that this was the breakthrough they had been waiting for.

"Do you have anything yet?" Jenny asked as she moved to stand in front of the plasma screen.

"Yes, did you know that there are hundreds of thousands of creatures out there in the Amazon and this heat sensing system is so sensitive it can pick up the heat signature of a locust?" Abby replied.

"Abby, I don't give a damn about locusts!" Jenny snapped as she turned around to leave the room. Just then Abby's computer started beeping like crazy.

"What is it?" Jenny asked as she turned back.

"That is definitely not a swarm of locusts. That is a human signature." Abby shouted excitedly.

"Abby, you do know that there are hundreds of tribes in the Amazon." Jenny stated the obvious as she tried to be realistic.

"Of course I know that. But I'm searching for temperatures of 102 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. I worked on the assumption that there must be people who are hurt and running fevers and I've received a hit. There are at least two bodies with that temperature and higher." Abby replied as she zoomed in over the highlighted area in the map.

"Good work Abby. Send that information to the DiNozzo now. I'll pass it onto NCIS in Manaus and to the Brazilian Military." Jenny said as she left the lab.

_Hang on Gibbs, Ziva. I've found you; now give Tony and Tim time to get to you. _Abby sighed as she speed dialled DiNozzo's phone.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

"NCIS, Agent McGee speaking." McGee answered Tony's phone.

"McGee what are you doing with Tony's phone?" Abby asked instinctively knowing that something was wrong.

"Abby, Tony's mmm…" McGee stated to say.

"McGee, think very carefully before you speak. If I find out you lied to me…" Abby growled.

McGee looked at Tony lying on the ground a hand across his aching head and another cradling his side.

"McGee, I'm waiting!" Abby shouted.

"Okay, but don't freak out. Tony annoyed one of the Military officers and he knocked Tony out." McGee stated.

"What? Poor Tony! Is he okay?" Abby cooed.

"He'll be fine. We just need to find Gibbs and Ziva and then all of us will be fine." McGee sighed, the heat and frustration getting to him.

"Well I can help with that." Abby chirped.

"What did you find?" McGee asked sharply, causing Tony to sit up and Ducky to stare at him.

McGee listened intently to all that Abby said.

"Abby you're a genius. Upload the co-ordinates to my PDA and I'll call you the moment we find them." McGee replied before hanging up.

As Ducky helped Tony to his feet, McGee started informing them about Abby's findings. Less then 5 minutes later the choppers were being started up again.

"It's time to go." Esmeralda said as she ran into the hanger.

"Jenny sure knows people in high places." Tony commented as he made his way to his allocated chopper. His head was pounding and his ribs protested every step but there was no way he was going to stay behind and let some one else rescue his Boss.

"Feeling okay, Agent DiNozzo?" The paramedic asked as Tony got into his seat on the chopper.

"I'm fine, thanks." Tony lied as he ignored the Military officer sitting in front of him.

"_El tiempo de ir y salvar a estos Americanos!"_ The officer said to the pilot.

"_Si,_ let us find the Americans." The pilot concurred as the chopper left the ground.

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"Eduardo, she is _inconscient!_" Magdalena whispered as Ziva's body went limp in her arms.

_"Dé gracias a Dios!"_ Eduardo stated thanking God that Ziva had finally passed out.

He made quick work of removing the last few teeth from her leg. Then he took a few bottles of alcohol and poured them into the wounds to clean them causing Ziva to jerk and moan. But she didn't wake up. Eduardo debated stitching the cuts but then decided to just wrap the wounds as the flesh at the wound site was too jagged and impossible to stitch together.

"Eduardo, _Señor_ Gibbs' _fiebre_ is getting worse!" Maria called out as Eduardo finished wrapping Ziva's leg.

Eduardo moved to Gibbs' leg and removed the bandages. The wounds and surrounding flesh was swollen and a sickly yellowish red colour. Eduardo touched the sides of the wound lightly and instantly thick, bloody pus oozed out of numerous tiny holes. Gibbs gasped and started to trash around as white, hot fire raced up and down his leg. He tried to pull away in his fever induce unconscious state but Eduardo held his leg firm as Milena leaned across his torso and Maria held his head still.

"His leg, it is re-infected no? Oh poor _Señor_ Gibbs! What are you going to do Eduardo?" Magdalena asked as she placed a damp cloth against Ziva's heated forehead before removing the leather strap from between her teeth.

"Felipe, Sergio?" Eduardo called out.

"Yes, Eduardo?" Sergio answered as Felipe tried not to smirk at the gross scene in front of them.

"Take the axe you found earlier and immerse it in boiling water for 10 minutes. Then dowse it with alcohol and bring it to me." Eduardo ordered.

"_Ah Dios!" _ Magdalena gasped.

_"Oh No!"_ Milena whispered as tears gathered in her eyes.

"But he will die if you do that Eduardo!" Maria cried out, having formed a sense of attachment to Gibbs while caring for him.

"He will die if I don't!" Eduardo insisted. "We need to move Ziva to the other part of the wreck. I don't want her hearing his screams as I _amputee _his infected leg. Hurry!" Eduardo ordered.

As everyone scrambled to do as instructed Eduardo leaned in towards the side of Gibbs' face and whispered, "_Señor_ Gibbs, forgive me but there is no other way to save your life!"

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**_Author's Note: _**

_**That's it for this chapter! **_

_**Will Gibbs loose his leg? Will Ziva's infection spread? Will the team return to the spot and will it be the right spot? **_

_**Stay tuned to find out and review ASAP… Thanks!**_


	17. Chapter 17

_**Author's Note: **_

_**Thank you for the great reviews. **_

_**Here's the next chapter. Enjoy and review ASAP….Thanks! **_

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Felipe held the handle of the axe as he immersed the blade into boiling water. He pictured how this blade would soon be slicing through flesh and bone. The image thrilled him.

"Eduardo should wait!" Sergio stated as he came to stand next to Felipe.

"Gibbs will die if Eduardo does nothing." Felipe stated in a helpless voice.

"I know but I fear the pain _Señor_ Gibbs will have to endure. And what if Eduardo can not control the bleeding? Then _Señor_ Gibbs will die for sure." Sergio growled as he turned around and started pacing.

Felipe looked out across the water and thought, _yes he will be in a lot of pain and he will bleed to death and I will have one less to worry about. _

_------------------------------------------------ _

"Milena, use his belt to tie a tunic around his lower leg. I will use my scalpel to make the incision 3 inches above the wound and then I will use the axe to sever the bones." Eduardo said.

"Maria, we will need lots of towels, something to cauterize the wound with and at least 4 people to hold him down." Eduardo continued as he prepared himself for what he was about to do.

"Here's the axe." Felipe said as he handed it to Eduardo a few moments later.

"Hold him still. It's time to begin." Eduardo said as he looked at an unconscious Gibbs' flushed face one more time before pulling on a pair of latex gloves.

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"Director, I have agent Fornell on the line." Cynthia said at NCIS head office.

"Thank you Cynthia." Jenny said as the call was put through.

"Fornell, what do you have for me?" Jenny got right to the point.

Her blood was pumping at a furious rate as she impatiently awaited DiNozzo's call confirming that Gibbs and Ziva had been found and that they were both okay.

"Five 5kg bags of Ammonium Nitrate solution were found in 5 suitcases on the grounded plane at Madrid Barajas International Airport. The AN was surrounded by at least 5 liters of diesel and each had one Electronic detonator attached. They were each connected to timing devices due to be set off 3 and half hours after take off." Fornell stated.

"Oh my God. That would have been about the time the plane would have been due to land at London's Heathrow Airport." Jenny said.

"We think London is as much a target as New York and Washington are." Fornell stated.

"Have the passengers been interrogated yet?" Jenny asked as she switched her plasma screen on and followed the progress of the rescue choppers over the Amazon.

" Madrid Secret Service, are busy doing that as we speak. I'll let you know if we have anything new. By the way, the plane in Manaus is equipped and ready to leave. I believe the rescue choppers are close to finding them." Fornell confirmed.

"Thank you Fornell. I guess you'll know when they're rescued a second before I will." Jenny said before hanging up.

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At the same time, out in the stifling heat of the Amazon, Ziva came suddenly awake. She was disorientated as she tried to understand why her body ached so badly. Then voices filtered back to her and she started making sense of the words.

"Yes Conchita, Eduardo is planning to _corte_ poor _Señor_ Gibbs' leg off as we speak."

_"What!"_ Ziva gasped as her eyes flew open in terror.

"Oh _Señorita_ Ziva, _calme por favor_. You should not be awake so soon after all you have been through" Magdalena said in distress.

_"Where's … Gibbs?"_ Ziva growled as she forced herself up into a sitting position. Pain sizzled through her side and zigzagged up her leg in fiery waves. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut as she took a moment to gulp down the bile that was now lodged in her throat.

"_Señorita_ … rest!" Conchita ordered in broken English as she placed a hand on Ziva's shoulder.

_"Take … me… to Gibbs NOW! I have … to stop …Eduardo…"_ Ziva gasped as she tried to get the pain and nausea under control.

"No, no you can not go to him now." Magdalena insisted even as Ziva gathered her strength and managed to stand up. Magdalena and Conchita stood up and both reached out to Ziva steadying her.

_"Take me to him now!"_ Ziva growled, her eyes flashing with anger.

"Okay, Okay." Magdalena concurred.

"_Ella está enamorada de él?" _Conchita asked causing Ziva to pause suddenly.

_Could she be right? Could I have fallen in love with Gibbs and not even been aware of it. Oh God, I think it's true! _Ziva sobbed as the realization hit her like a ton of bricks.

"Shhh, _Señorita_ Ziva." Magdalena cooed as she wrapped her arm more securely around Ziva's waist being careful not to apply pressure to her injured side.

Together they walked out of the wreck and into the clearing.

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"Hold him tightly. Milena remember we have to cauterize the cut as soon as possible to stop the bleeding." Eduardo stated as he poised the scalpel over Gibbs' leg.

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When Ziva was about half way across the clearing the sound of a chopper in a distance broke the silence. Magdalena and Conchita both stopped as all three of them turned to look at the sky.

_Help is finally here. We're going to be okay. Gibbs is going to be okay!_ Ziva sighed in relieve.

A split second later, Gibbs' bloodcurdling cry of agony shook the world around her.

_"No!!!!!!"_ Ziva screamed as she collapsed onto the ground.

_"Aaarrrrgggghhhh!!!!!!!"_ Gibbs' cries filled the air.

"_Oh Dios, esperar_ Eduardo, help has arrived. _Esperar_!" Magdalena shouted out as she ran toward the wreck.

_"Gibbs … Gibbs …Gibbs!"_ Ziva sobbed as her world turned to darkness.

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**_Author's Note: _**

_**That's it for this chapter. **_

_**I know the suspense is killing you. So Review soon so I can update soon... Thanks!**_


	18. Chapter 18

_**Author's Note :**_

_**Thank you, Thank you, and Thank you for all the reviews. I loved them!**_

_**Here's the next chapter. Enjoy and Review soon….Thanks!**_

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"Hold him down!" Eduardo shouted.

"_Esperar_, Eduardo!" Magdalena's voice broke through, in between Gibbs' hysterical cries.

"_Señor_ Gibbs, do not fight us." Milena said as she lay across his torso.

"He is starting to_ pánico._ Shhhh _Señor_ Gibbs!" Maria cooed as she held Gibbs' face between her palms, tears running down her face.

"What is Magdalena saying?" Eduardo asked as he held Gibbs' leg tightly and poised the scalpel a few millimeters above his skin.

"_Aaaaaarrrrrrrrgggggghhhhhhh, LET ME GO!"_ Gibbs growled trying to pull away from the people holding him down.

_Who are you? What are you doing to me? God my leg's on fire. Get away from me. I can't breathe!_

The sounds of the choppers could now be heard by Maria and Milena.

"Eduardo, Helicopters!" Milena shouted looked out of the opening.

"_Ah Dios_. I will not have to this now!" Eduardo sighed in relief as his hand trembled slightly.

_I need to do something now! _Felipe realized that help had arrived and Gibbs could still be a threat to his mission.

So acting like the klutz everyone was use to he pretended to stumble as he was getting up and then he fell forward knocking Eduardo's hand.

"_Felipe!"_ Sergio shouted out in shock.

"_NO!"_ Maria and Milena cried out simultaneously as the scalpel sliced into the side of Gibbs' leg.

The pain that now shot through Gibbs' leg was of an inexplicable intensity. Gibbs' eyes shot wide open and lightened to almost a transparent blue before becoming bloodshot. His fists clenched so tightly that his nails drew blood. His breath staggered before an inhuman sound for pure torment erupted from his lips. And then he started convulsing.

All of this happened in less than 5 seconds, and it took about that long for Eduardo to throw Felipe off his back and remove the scalpel.

"I'm sorry Eduardo. I slipped. Oh God, what have I done!" Felipe gasped in shock as tears filled his eyes.

"Milena, towels. Sergio your belt, quickly." Eduardo growled as he tried to stem the mixture of blood and pus that now gushed out of Gibbs' leg.

"_Oh Dios, _No Eduardo! Help has arrived but it is too late. You have already removed Señor Gibbs' leg_."_ Magdalena cried as she saw Gibbs' leg covered in blood. Then she promptly fainted.

"Maria, bring the paramedics to us. _Rápidamente!" _Eduardo growled as he applied pressure to Gibbs' leg.

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As the chopper approached the clearing, Tony immediately noticed the debris in the water. He used his binoculars to scan the land surrounding that section of the river and shouted, "There on the right. There are people down there at the water's edge. Get me down there now!"

Down on the ground, the group of survivors stated shouting and hollering ins joy and relief.

The pilot pull the chopper in as low and as close to the clearing as he could. At the same time he relayed their findings to the 2 other choppers that were flying a few minutes behind him.

As Tony continued to scan the clearing his breath caught.

_Ziva! She's lying in the middle of the clearing …dead? No. No she's not dead… unconscious. She's just unconscious. Damn it she better just be unconscious!_ Tony thought as he rubbed his aching head.

"Hurry! That's my partner down there!" Tony growled at the pilot as he unclipped his belt.

"The paramedic will go down first." The military officer shouted as he placed a firm hand on Tony's shoulder.

"_Damn it…"_ Tony barked back.

"The_ PARAMEDIC_ will go down first. Now sit back and stop delaying us." The military officer shouted as his eyes challenged Tony. Tony took a few deep breathes as he realized that if he got knocked out by this boor he would be of no use to Gibbs and Ziva.

"Okay. Please hurry. That woman on the ground with the black hair, she's my partner." Tony pointed Ziva out to the paramedic even though it was unnecessary as Ziva was the only person in the clearing who looked like she needed medical care.

_I can't see Gibbs! Could he be… No! He must be occupied somewhere else. He must have organized a troop and decided to find a way out of this place. Yes, that's exactly what Gibbs would do. Gibbs is okay. He has to be. _Tony refused to accept any other possibility.

Soon the paramedic was hooked into a harness, his bag strapped to his back as he was lowered down to the clearing. Tony went down next, the harness and lowering gear pressing mercilessly into his injured side. Just then the second and third choppers arrived.

"_¿qué pasó?" _The paramedic asked he crouched down next to Ziva.

Conchita quickly told him about the gun shot wound and the anaconda attack.

"_¿usted es serio?" _The paramedic asked, disbelieving her, as Tony cradling his side, hurried towards them.

"What? What's wrong with her? Ziva? Ziva, can you hear me?" Tony shouted as he kneeled down next to Ziva and placed his palms against her face.

"She's burning up?" Tony observed.

"_Sí,_ she has gunshot and _serpiente _bite." The paramedic informed Tony as he revealed her wounds. Tony gasped at the savage wounds, the sight making his headache worse.

"_Mmmmm, Gibbs! Save Gibbs!" _Ziva moaned as the paramedic probed her wounds.

"Ziva, where's Gibbs?" Tony asked as he tapped her face, trying to get her to wake up. But Ziva just repeated, _"Save Gibbs!"_ over and over again.

Just then a second paramedic was on the ground closely followed by McGee.

"Come here_, Apresurar. __Señor_Gibb is badly hurt" Maria shouted in panic.

"Ziva?" McGee gasped as he fell to his knees next to her and got a look at her wounds.

"Stay with her." Tony ordered as he got up and jogged towards the wreck Milena and the other paramedic had disappeared into.

"Ziva?" McGee questioned as he tapped Ziva on her cheek as the paramedic hooked up an IV line and injected a dose of Morphine to help with the pain.

Ziva heard the voice calling out to her and latched onto it because it was familiar and it represented hope for her.

"Ziva, can you hear me? You're going to be okay." McGee said as the paramedic proceeded to dress her wounds.

"_Mmmmm, McGee?"_ Ziva questioned as her eyes fluttered open.

"Yes, it's me. You're going to be okay." McGee repeated relieved that she was responsive.

Just than Ducky came running towards them.

"How is she?" Ducky asked slightly out of breath.

"A gunshot to the side and snake bite to her leg. She has a _fiebre _but she is stable for the moment." The paramedic replied.

"Where is Jethro?" Ducky asked as he looked around the clearing.

"Tony ran into that part of the wreck. Gibb must be in there." McGee replied wanting to follow Tony but knowing that Ziva needed him now.

"Stay with Ziva, Tim. I'll check on Jethro and let you know how he's doing." Ducky said as he stood up and made his way to the wreck.

The paramedic spoke into his transmitter and instructed the pilot to lower a stretcher down into the clearing so that Ziva could be lifted out.

"_Gibbs, need to save Gibbs!"_ Ziva whispered as the Morphine took effect and she passed out.

McGee helped the paramedic get Ziva onto the stretcher. Ziva and the paramedic were lifted out first. McGee was up a few minutes later. As the chopper headed back to Manaus Airport McGee worried_, Ducky why didn't you or Tony come out of the wreck? Just how badly is Boss hurt?_

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_Boss, what have you gotten yourself into? _Tony wondered as he entered the wreck.

It took a second for Tony's eyes to adjust and then the voices and frantic actions made his heart pound faster in dread.

Gibbs was shaking uncontrollably and 4 people were holding him down. One held a leather belt between his clenched teeth as another practically lay across his torso. And 2 more plus a paramedic surrounded his legs. Tony moved forward cautiously not sure that he wanted to see what was wrong but not being able to stay back.

As he approached, the metallic smell of blood made his nostrils flare. Then a foreign pungent smell mingled with that of the blood causing Tony's gag reflexes to get ready. As he looked over the paramedic's shoulder, his world stated to spiral out of control.

_Gibbs' leg! Oh my God! His leg!_ Tony gasped as he reached out around himself to prevent from passing out.

"_Holy Mother of God! Jethro what have they done to you?"_ Ducky gasped next to Tony as he reached out a hand to steady the young Agent.

"_His leg, Ducky??? I …. Oooohhhh!"_ Tony whispered before turning away, falling to his knees and throwing up.

"Sciatic vein severed. We must stop the bleeding and get him to the hospital quickly!" Eduardo told the paramedic as blood continued to ooze out of the wound.

"Give him something for the pain, please!" Maria cried out as Gibbs continued to tremble and jerk on the ground.

The paramedic filled a syringe with 25cc of Morphine and plunged the needle into Gibbs' thigh. Then he took out five gauze dressings and he and Eduardo wrapped these tightly around the gushing wound. The belts were then removed from Gibbs leg and he jerked twice more before becoming still.

"His leg is infected and he is running a high _fiebre. _He needs _antibiótico fuerte._" Eduardo informed the paramedic and Ducky listened to the conversation taking in everything that was wrong with Gibbs.

The paramedic hooked an IV line to Gibbs' arm and started pumping fluids and antibiotics into his system. Then he spoke into the transmitter on his shoulder and informed the pilot to drop a stretcher into the clearing so that Gibbs could be lifted out.

By this time Tony's retching had stopped and he helped Eduardo, Sergio, and the paramedic to carry an unconscious and very ill Gibbs out of the clearing.

_Boss, please hang in there! We're getting you out of this place but you need to be strong just a little longer, just until we get you to the hospital. Do It. That's an order! _Tony mentally growled as he fought to keep his fear and despair at bay.

_I hope he dies on route. But at least I have ensured that he will be too weak to play any role is ruining my plans. Maybe he will die or end up in a coma. Either way, I will take care of him in Washington, if he becomes a threat to our operation._ Felipe thought as he followed everyone out of the wreck.

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_**Author's Note: **_

_**That's it for this chapter.**_

_**Stay tuned for the next and review soon…. Thanks!**_


	19. Chapter 19

**_Author's Note: _**

**_Thank you for all the wonderful reviews. _**

****

**_Here's the next instalment. Enjoy and Review soon…… Thanks!_**

---------------------------------------------------

As Gibbs was airlifted, Tony and Ducky noticed that McGee and Ziva were gone. All 5 choppers were now in the area and all the military officers were down on the ground, surveying the scene and questioning the survivors.

"Tony, go with Gibbs and I'll follow in one of the other helicopters." Ducky stated.

Tony knew that Ducky cared about Gibbs just as much if not more then he did. Ducky just squeezed Tony's arm as he forced him to get into the harness that would lift him up to the chopper.

"Thanks, Ducky." Tony replied as he was airlifted.

At the same time Esmeralda made her way towards Ducky and informed him that the Military would secure the scene and that she and her NCIS colleague had received permission to question the survivors, so they would be staying behind to do that.

"When will the survivors be taken back to town?" Ducky asked as he looked around and took in the whole sordid scene.

Bits and pieces of aircraft, baggage and clothes were all gathers in groups around the site. Three fires were burning, with metal cans suspended above them, steam floating up and out of these cans. And people, young and old, lined up in front of the military officers who were asking them to produce any form of identification. At the same time 2 military officers were viewing the dead bodies which were lying a few meters away, the decomposing flesh tainting the air with a rotten scent. And then there was the river and the lush greenery with bright coloured flowers. It was all just too surreal.

Then Ducky thought about Gibbs and Ziva. He had never seen Gibbs so … _broken_. And Ziva, strong, independent Ziva. She had looked so lost. All Ducky wanted to do was take his friends… no his children home to safety and nurse them back to health.

Esmeralda's voice brought Ducky abruptly out of his reverie.

"The military is sending in 4 vessels to come and take the survivors to safety. At the same time more military personnel will be arriving to start the investigation and to clear away the dead."

"I see." Ducky replied.

"Dr Mallard, if you wish to leave, you must do so now." Esmeralda advised as she walked Ducky to the harness dangling from one of the choppers.

"Oh yes. Thank you for all your help and I'm sure that we will be in contact with you soon regarding the case." Ducky said as he pulled the harness on and floated up to the chopper.

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In the first chopper, McGee pulled the blanket, back in place a Ziva tried to push it off.

_"Gibbs…."_ Ziva murmured as she moved her head.

"Ziva, Ziva, its McGee. Can you hear me?" McGee asked as he placed a hand on her shoulder. She seemed so small and fragile and her body was trembling from fever, fear and trauma.

_"Gibbs…." _Ziva repeated as waves of heat evaporated off her body. She was floating and rocking and her stomach was rolling in response. As she came more awake the slight throbbing pain in her side and leg turned to white blinding pain.

_"Aaaahhhhhhh!"_ Ziva cried out as her eyes flew open.

"_Senorita_, _calma por favor_." The paramedic called out as he placed a hand on Ziva's other shoulder.

_"Ooohhh!"_ Ziva rolled on the stretcher, her stomach twisting and forcing bile up to her throat. Before McGee or the paramedic could respond, Ziva was gagging and gasping, the contents of her stomach, unceremoniously expelled all across McGee's pants and shoes.

McGee didn't look at his pants or shoes as he swallowed compulsively. He also opted to breathe through his mouth as he supported Ziva as she continued to gag.

Once she was done, McGee helped her lie back down. Then the paramedic ran a wet cloth over Ziva's mouth and forced her to take a few sips of water.

_"Mmmmmmm."_ Ziva moaned as she trembled, her leg pulsating mercilessly and her side pinched in vice.

"Can't you give her something for the pain?" McGee asked the paramedic.

"I should _esperar_ as the next dose should only be given in about 10 minute's time." The paramedic replied.

"Then give her something to knock her out!" McGee shouted, Ziva's moaning and gasping breaking his heart.

"Knock her out? Ah, okay, I understand, _sedativo_." The paramedic agreed as he started preparing a syringe.

_"Gibbs… where …?"_ Ziva moaned as she once again focused on McGee.

"His … okay." McGee replied despite the fact that he had no idea how Gibbs was or whether he was even alive still.

_"Did … they take … take his …leg?"_ Ziva asked and McGee was hard pressed to keep his expression blank as a sense of horror washed through him.

_Gibbs' leg? What can you mean Ziva? Did Gibbs loose a leg? Oh my God! _

_"McGee!?!"_ Ziva sobbed as she saw confusion flash in McGee's eyes.

"Ziva, shh, it's okay. Gibbs … Gibbs is okay. He's in another chopper on his way to Manaus Airport. Now, just rest okay. Everything's going to be okay!" McGee said with conviction as he sandwiched her warm hand between his.

"_Senorita_ _esto dolerá un poco_, but then all the other pain will be gone." the paramedic said as he straightened Ziva's other arm and slowly forced the needle into her vein. Before he even withdrew the needle, Ziva's trembling stopped and her breathing became deep as she slipped into a sedated and almost pain free sleep.

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In the other chopper a few miles away, Tony looked worriedly down at Gibbs.

"Is he okay?" Tony asked still unable to believe the condition in which they had found Gibbs and Ziva. Out of a total of 16 people, only Gibbs and Ziva had been badly injured. This all seemed like a very bad horror in which Tony and those he held dear were trapped. The worst part was Tony couldn't decide if this nightmare was just beginning or about to end.

"_Señor_ Gibbs is in …. shock. Too much blood loss and … bad _infección_ plus head trauma." The paramedic replied in broken English as he placed an oxygen mask over Gibbs' nose and mouth before using a stethoscope to listen to his heart and lungs.

_Oh God, Gibbs! _Tony remembered the blood and pus oozing out of Gibbs' leg. _What if you have to loose your leg! No, I can't think that way. You will not loose your leg! You will pull through this and we'll help you to get back to full strength._

Tony couldn't handle seeing a strong man like Gibbs in such a helpless and almost hopeless condition. Gibbs looked pale, his skin tightly drawn across his face and his lips tinge with blue. His body trembled occasionally as incoherent syllables escaped his lips.

_"Ziva……"_ Tony was sure that that was what he heard Gibbs repeatedly murmur. Tony reached out his hand and took Gibbs' hand into his. It was cold and clammy, scaring Tony even more as the temperature in the Amazon was well into the 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

"He's cold." Tony stated.

"Si, the _fiebre_." The paramedic replied as he placed a thermometer into Gibbs' armpit before throwing another blanket over Gibbs' body.

Tony rubbed Gibbs' hand for a few moments before threading his fingers between Gibbs' and gently squeezing.

As the paramedic removed the thermometer and took the reading, his facial expression triggered all kinds of warning signals in Tony's mind.

"What?" Tony growled as the paramedic placed the stethoscope oh Gibbs' chest and listened intently. Then he pumped up the pressure cuff on Gibbs' arm to take a blood pressure reading.

"_Ah Dios_, Paulo, hurry. Take us straight to Santa Teresa Hospital and notify the trauma room to be _prepárese!_" The paramedic shouted to the pilot.

"Damn it, what's happening? What's wrong with him?" Tony frantically asked, his hand tightening on Gibbs'.

"His _temperatura_ is dropping. His heartbeat _errático_ and blood pressure low. Must operate immediately and drain out _de infección_ or _Señor_ Gibbs could … expire." The paramedic warned as he continued to monitor Gibbs' vital signs.

_Damn it Gibbs, don't do this to me. You have to pull through this. And you better be whole. God … Gibbs I don't care how long it takes for you to recover and I promise to stand by you through your recovery and to take care of you every step of the way. Now just don't give up! I need you to fight this. Please … please just fight it for a little bit longer! … _Tony squeezed his eyes shut as he lifted Gibbs hand and brought it to his lips as tears started rolling down his cheeks.

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**_Author's Note: _**

**_That's it for this chapter. _**

**_Sorry for keeping the pressure up, but you should now that that's my style. _**

**_The next chapter sees Abby and Jenny's reaction to the rescue and we will have to answer the big question of whether Gibbs gets to keep his leg or not! _**

**_So stay tuned and Review ASAP. Thanks…_**


	20. Chapter 20

_**Author's Note: **_

_**Thank you as always for the reviews. **_

_**I seemed to have some more free time then expected and was torn between updating this story and "Enemy Within". But in the end 'Survival' won. But I hope to post a new chapter for "Enemy Within" by tomorrow…. So you won't have too long to wait :-) **_

_**Here's the next chapter… Enjoy and Review soon…. Thanks! **_

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As the chopper landed on the roof of the 6 story hospital building, trauma doctors and nurses rushed forward. Tony and the paramedic, with the help of the doctors, got Gibbs onto the gurney and then they were racing back into the hospital. The paramedic was speaking to the ER doctors in rapid Spanish and the ER Doctors in turn were instructing the nurses on what actions to take.

Tony listened to the chaos around him but his eyes were glued to Gibbs' chest to make sure that it was still rising and falling. And then Tony was being pushed away and told to wait outside the ER.

"Tony!" McGee called out as he rounded a corner.

"Tim? Where's Ziva? Is she okay?" Tony hurriedly asked as he placed a hand against his now throbbing head.

"Ziva's in the ER being checked out. How's Gibbs doing? Ziva mumbled something about his leg …" McGee couldn't bring himself to say, 'being ripped off'.

"Gibbs is in critical condition. He has a bad infection on his lower leg and somehow his sciatic vein was severed so his suffered major blood loss. And on top of that he also has a concussion." Tony replied as he stared at the door behind which Gibbs had disappeared. As he continued to stare, McGee's voice faded and everything around him started moving in slow motion.

"Tony!" McGee shouted as he saw Tony sway. He grabbed Tony around his waist and helped him into a seat.

"Tony, look at me!" McGee shouted as he slapped Tony gently on his cheek.

"Mmmmmm… lightheaded..." Tony mumbled as his eyes started to focus on McGee.

"Is he okay?" A nurse asked as she noticed how pale Tony was and that he was cradling his side with one hand as he rubbing his head with the other.

"I think he has a concussion and his ribs are bruised, maybe even fractured." McGee replied.

"I'm okay." Tony insisted even though he knew he wasn't. The head ache was getting worse by the minute and his side was on fire.

"I'll call the Doctor, _Sí_." The nurse said as she quickly walked away.

"McGee, I'm fine. Call Jenny and Abby and give them an update while I go and find out about Ziva and Gibbs." Tony ordered.

"Tony…" McGee protested as Tony stood up and swayed.

"_Señor _TonyI am Dr Hernandez." The doctor said as he reached out to stead Tony. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine." Tony growled getting annoyed as he desperately wanted to make sure that Gibbs was okay.

"Cecile says that you have a head trauma and a few bruised ribs. So I'm going to take you into the ER so that I can examine you and make sure that you are okay." Dr Hernandez said.

"No, I'm… Did you say the ER?" Tony asked as he realized that this was his chance to get in and see Gibbs and Ziva.

"Okay." Tony replied as he deliberately swayed.

Ducky came down the collidor as Tony was taken into the ER.

"Tim?" Ducky questioned, concern making his voice sharp.

"Tony was lightheaded and I think his side is hurt worse then he was letting on. Gibbs and Ziva are both in there too and I don't know how either of them is doing." McGee growled in frustration.

"I'll see what I can find out. In the meantime, we need to let the Director and Abby know that we have at least found Jethro and Ziva." Ducky said as he walked towards the ER.

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Back in Washington, Fornell walked into Director Jenny Shepherd's office.

Jenny looked up from her computer and waited for his update.

"16 survivors were found 102miles from Manaus along the Amazon river. Out of the 16 survivors, 2 people are critically injured." Fornell said causing Jen's breath to catch.

"Gibbs and Ziva were injured?" she questioned when Fornell remained quiet for too long.

"Ziva sustained a gunshot wound, a through and through to her right side. She also injured her leg when she decided to take a swim with an anaconda." Fornell said.

Jenny lifted her eyebrows, indicating that she would have to speak to Ziva before believing that.

"And Jethro?" Jenny asked, keeping her breathing steady.

"He's in critical condition. He was pinned to the plane by a metal rod that went through his leg. The wound's infected and the doctor on board the flight was preparing to amputate his leg when the choppers found them. Somehow in the commotion, Gibbs' sciatic vein was severed. He's lost a lot of blood and he could still…" Fornell couldn't continue.

"Still loose his …. leg or his … life." Jenny whispered as tears glistened in her eyes.

"They've been taken to Santa Teresa Hospital in Manaus. That is a training hospital that has lecturers and Doctors from all over the world working there. I've heard that some of the very best doctors are currently their on a 3 week training session." Fornell said as he poured Jenny and himself a shot of bourbon.

Jenny swallowed the dark, burning liquid in one gulp as she squeezed her eyes shut. When she opened her eyes again, she was back in NCIS Director mode.

"Have the passengers been questioned yet?" she asked as she prayed that Gibbs and Ziva would pull through this mess.

"The Brazilian military and NCIS Brazil are doing the questioning as we speak. But my guys are also checking on the reports and will let me know about any developments as they come to light. The plane in Manaus will remain ready and gassed up to fly your team out as soon as Jethro and Ziva are cleared for travel." Fornell said as he stood up and left her office.

Jenny poured herself another shot of bourbon and sipped it this time.

_I will have to go and tell Abby. _

Just then Abby ran into her office, tears running down her face.

"McGee just called. Oh God, Gibbs is so badly hurt. He could loose his leg and he could die. I can't loose him. And Ziva, I know that she is strong and she can take anyone on, but an anaconda!" Abby sobbed.

"Abby, calm down." Jenny said as she took the lab tech's arm intending to lead her to the couch.

Abby needed a hug and she needed someone to tell her that everything was going to be okay. So the minute Jenny touched her, she turned around and threw her arms around Jenny. Jenny was stunned for a second and then she gave into her need to share her fears with someone.

"They have to be okay. I can't live without Gibbs. Oh God, he's my hero. I need him to come back to me, whole and healthy!" Abby sobbed.

"Shh, Abby. We have to be positive. Jethro's the strongest man I know. If there is anyone in this world who can survive something like this, it's him. And Ziva's just as strong as him and she will also pull through. We have to believe that." Jenny said as tears rolled down her face.

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The ER at Santa Teresa Hospital could only be described as organized chaos. Tony scanned the large room with curtains that served to separate the cubicles. Some of the medical equipment seemed outdated and Tony started to worry about the kind of care Gibbs and Ziva were getting and then he spotted them.

Both of them were unconscious. Gibbs' clothes had been removed and they had yet to place a gown over him. He had an oxygen tube inserted into his throat as Tony watched. At the same time a nurse was drawing blood and rushing off with it. Another nurse held a thermometer under his arm while a third hooked him up to another bag of IV fluids. The doctors were staring at his leg and then a senior looking doctor walked up to them.

"Take him into surgery immediately. I'll repair the vein and Sasha can drain the pus and remove the infected muscle if necessary. Get at least 4 pints of blood ready for him. As soon as the vein is repaired we will have to start pumping him with fluids." The doctor spoke with an American accent.

"Once the leg's sorted out we'll work on his head injury. Let's move it people." The doctor ordered. A second later a blanket was thrown over Gibbs and he was rushed out of the ER to what Tony could only assume was the operating theatre.

_Gibbs, hold on. _Tony prayed as he looked back at Ziva.

Ziva's clothes had also been removed and she was now dressed in a standard hospital issue gown. She had an oxygen mask over her face, a heart monitor connected to her finger and an IV line with 3 different IV bags hooked up to it. Tony could see her leg, which the doctors had just unwrapped.

'Minced meat' that was what her wound looked like. A nurse started cleansing the wound and Ziva jerked and tossed in response. Another nurse lifted her eye lids and noted that her pupils were dilated and that the first nurse could continue as Ziva was not about to wake up. Once the wound was cleaned, the nurse revealed a wicked looking needle and she started the painstaking job of stitching Ziva's leg.

"Okay _Señor _Tonylet's remove your shirt and take a look at your side." Dr Hernandez said as Cecile unbuttoned Tony's shirt and helped him out of it. Tony's side was badly bruised and Hernandez wondered how he had been able to keep upright in such a condition.

Hernandez forced Tony to lie down. Then he examined his eyes noting that his pupils reacted but a bit slowly. His blood pressure was slightly high and he was restless and anxious. Hernandez also noted the tension in Tony's face as he kept looking at the dark haired woman lying at the other end of the ER. He also watched as Tony rubbed his forehead and neck repeatedly. Tony's cheek was tinged bluish purple, but the cut under his eye didn't require any further treatment. Then Hernandez ran his hand lightly over Tony's side causing him to wince and gasp in response.

"_Aaahhhh!_ Take it easy, Doc." Tony groaned and he pulled away from the doctor's abusive hands.

"Sorry about that." Hernandez replied. "Cecile, x-rays of his side and a CT scan of his head, please. Also give him 10cc Tramadol for the pain. _Señor _I'll be back to see you once the tests have been taken."

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As Agent Gibbs lay on his side, naked on the OR table, a team of 6 doctors and nurses worked on his leg. His leg was held in a plastic vice that allowed the doctors to see the entry and exit wounds.

First the doctors gave him drugs to slow down his blood flow and thereby prevent further blood loss. Then they removed the dressings on his leg and made 4 vertical incisions, two on either side of the deep cut. Using a microscope, Dr Johnson looked at the wound and identified that the Posterior Tibial Vein had been severed and not the sciatic vein. He immediately clamped the two ends of the vein. Using precision instruments, he cleaned the severed ends of the vein and started suturing the vein back together. Exactly 7 minutes later he removed first one clamp and then the other. Everyone waited and watched as blood flowed through the newly repaired vein without trickling out of it.

"Hook up the fluids now and let's clean up the rest of this mess." Dr Sasha Gomez called out as Dr Johnson stepped away from the table. Dr Sasha suctioned out all the pus and muck that still lingered between the arteries, veins and muscles. Then she examined the posterior tibial muscle and the anterior tibial muscle closely. She noted that the metal rod had ripped through the outer end of each muscle and that that point of the muscle had a yellowish discolouration to it.

"Scalpel." She ordered. Once she had the sharp blade in her hand she asked for a clamp. She grasped the infected muscle with the clamp scissor and then she sliced through it, removing a 2 by 2 centimeter section of muscle from the posterior tibial muscle first and then the anterior tibial muscle. Then she wrapped the wounded sections of the muscle with a medical gauze that would remain in the body and eventually disintegrate once the muscles had healed. She eventually pulled the skin together and sutured it neatly on each side of Gibbs' leg.

Throughout the procedures Gibbs' vitals had remained stable. When the vein had been repaired and the clamps removed, his blood pressure had dropped sharply, causing everyone to panic. A minute late his blood pressure spiked back up as the additional fluids started being administered.

As he was wheeled out of the OR, Dr Sasha instructed the nurse, "No pain medication until he awakes. Start him on a Cefotetan and Piperacillin 3 hourly IV and I want a CAT scan of his brain immediately."

"Yes, Dr Sasha. Will the pain not be too great for him?" The nurse asked as her eyes followed her patient.

"Yes it will, but we need him to awake so that we can be sure that his head injury doesn't leave permanent problems." Dr Sasha replied as she made her way to the OR waiting room expecting to find Gibbs' friends waiting for him there.

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**_Author's Note: _**

_**Hope you liked it. **_

_**The next chapter sees Gibbs and Ziva in the same room :-) and we also get an update on Felipe! **_

_**So stay tuned and review ASAP…. Thanks!**_


	21. Chapter 21

_**Author's Note:**_

_**Thank you for all the great reviews.**_

_**Here's the next chapter…. Enjoy …. And Review ASAP…. Thanks!**_

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_How much longer are they going to keep us waiting? I need to get out of here now, especially with the way Sergio, Eduardo, Maria and Magdalena are shooting daggers at me for 'slipping' and slicing Gibbs' leg open._ Felipe thought as the Military officers and NCIS Agents took their statements.

_Finally, my turn!_

"Name?" The officer asked in Spanish.

"Felipe Gonzales." Felipe replied Spanish.

"Any identification?"

"I have my passport, because I kept it in my pocket." Felipe replied as he handed it over to the officer.

"Okay. Can you tell me what happened?"

"I don't know much because I was sleeping. I just remember waking with a shock when the plane started spiralling out of control and then we were on the ground and I couldn't believe that I was still alive." Felipe replied with emotion.

"Why are you travelling to the USA?" the officer asked.

"I am on an exchange student program and I am to spend the next 4 months in America." Felipe replied as he showed the officer a document confirming his story.

"Okay, move over there so the paramedic can look you over." The officer ordered.

"When will be leaving this place and where will we be taken?" Felipe asked before moving off.

"You will be taken to Manaus once the rescue boats arrive." The officer replied preparing to move off.

"Mm, can you tell me how the two badly injured passengers are doing?" Felipe asked, his face showing intense concern.

"They're at the Santa Teresa Hospital in Manaus. That's all I know, now move along." The officer ordered.

_Santa Teresa Hospital. So I guess that's where I will be going to ... dispose of them. _Felipe grinned.

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Later that afternoon, Jenny was pacing up and down her office waiting for Abby to link her computer to a Middle Eastern News station.

"Done!" Abby replied as the feed started coming through on the plasma screen.

"What we looking for?" Abby asked.

As they have been hugging and comforting each other, Jenny's phone had rung. At first they had thought that it was McGee or Tony. Jenny had answered the call after a moment's hesitation. The expression on her face had fresh tears gathering in Abby's eyes until Jenny indicated with her hand that it wasn't about Gibbs or Ziva. As soon as she had hung up, Jenny requested Abby to link up the feed.

"A plane's crashed into the Mediterranean. I want to know whose going to take responsibility for it." Jenny replied.

The presenter spoke in English making it easy for Jenny and Abby to understand and then the reports of the plane crash started to filter through.

_160 passengers likely dead_

_An Argentinean Airlines flight_

_Destined for London_

_Reasons for the crash … unknown at this stage._

_Breaking News : A plane has just crash landed at Charles De Gaulle International Airport, Paris._

_120 passengers on board._

_Once again an Argentinean Airlines flight_

_Possible hostage situation unfolding_

_We'll keep you posted._

"Oh my God. All those innocent people! What's going on and how are these two incidents linked to the crash in Brazil." Abby asked as she sat down and imagined the passengers lying dead and damaged underwater in the Mediterranean Sea.

"Cynthia, get Agent Fornell on the line and get MTAC to get Mario on line now." Jenny ordered.

"Abby, get me next 48 hours International flight schedule for Argentinean Airlines International flights to London, Paris, Madrid, and America. We need to warn all the airports and Governments about the possibility of addition attacks." Jenny ordered.

"On it, Mam." Abby replied as she bounded out of the room. She popped her head back into Jenny's office and asked, "You will call me as soon as you hear anything about Gibbs and Ziva, right."

"I'll call you and you do the same." Jenny replied as her phone started ringing.

"Fornell have you watched the news lately?" Jenny asked.

"I just saw it and I'm on the phone with my people in Paris and in Spain right now. I'll let you know as soon as I have something." Fornell replied as he hung up.

As Jenny hung up, her phone rang again.

"Mam, we have Mario on line in MTAC." Cynthia informed.

"I'm on my way." Jenny replied as she hung up and left her office.

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Back in Manaus at the Santa Teresa Hospital, Ziva David was moved from the ER to what was called the 'High Care Ward'. There she was hooked up to various monitors and a nasal canula was put in place. She was also put on 2 courses of very strong antibiotics to combat the infection raging through her body.

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At about the same time, Tony was being wheeled back from Radiology.

"How are you feeling?' Ducky asked as he noticed Tony reclining on the gurney.

"I'm okay but these meds they've given me are really making me woozy." Tony replied.

"Yes, Tramadol is a powerful painkiller as well as an opiate. So it is very common to have mild deliria and disassociation with it." Ducky confirmed as Dr Hernandez approached them.

He held Tony's x-rays and CT scan films in his hand.

"Well, _Señor _Tony, your ribs are only badly bruised and not fractured. Unfortunately you have suffered a concussion and I would like to keep you under observation overnight." The doctor informed them.

"That's fine Doctor, we were planning to stay with our friends anyway. At least Tony can do it lying down." Ducky replied before Tony could protest.

"Good, Cecile get _Señor _Tony settled in Ward 4A and keep him on fluids. Let the Tramadol wear off and let him evaluate the pain before the next dose of pain meds. Also get his ribs wrapped and start him on a course of anti-inflammatories. I'll see you later." Dr Hernandez said before walking away.

"Ducky, have you had any news about Ziva and ... _Ouch!_" Tony gasped his eyes opening to slits as Cecile slipped an IV needle into the back of his hand.

"Sorry." She smiles apologetically.

"Ziva's been moved to the High Care ward. She's on antobiotics for the fever and infection and she's on pain meds as well. The good news is that she's expected to make a full recovery." Ducky replied.

"Good! What about Gibbs?" Tony anxiously asked as Cecile taped the IV line down.

"Jethro made it through the surgery and is stable but critical. His leg will have to be monitored for a few days to make sure that there isn't any permanent damage. He still has a raging infection which they are treating with antibiotics. They're also giving him blood and fluids to replace what he lost. Anthony, Jethro's unconscious and the doctor's need him to wake up in order to evaluate his head injury. They are hoping that by withholding pain meds, Jethro will wake up sooner." Ducky informed Tony as Cecile started wheeling him towards a ward.

"What?! Hasn't he been through enough pain already?" Tony growled as he sat up abruptly ignoring the way the room suddenly went pear-shaped.

"Tony, calm down. As soon as Jethro is awake and responsive, they will give him pain meds. It could all happen within a minute." Ducky stated as he pushed Tony back onto the bed.

"Okay." Tony relented. "Where's McGee?" he asked a second later.

"He's getting an update from NCIS Manaus and then he'll be working on dinner." Ducky replied as he and Cecile helped Tony from the gurney onto a bed.

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In the High Care ward 2 floors up, Ziva started to come awake slowly. The first thing she noticed was the softness at her back closely followed by the warm blanket covering her body. Thirdly the sterile smell of the room became evident and finally the rhythmic beeping was heard.

_Hospital. We've been saved… Gibbs! Where's Gibbs? _Ziva came fully awake at that thought. She looked around quickly and sighed in a mixture of relief and anxiety as she saw Gibbs lying in the bed next to her.

Ignoring the twinges of pain racing through her body, Ziva sat up slowly before throwing her legs over the side of the bed. She stood up gingerly, being careful not to put too much pressure on her injured leg.

"_Senorita, No!"_ The nurse admonished. But Ziva was determined to get close to Gibbs and to make sure that he was okay. She leaned on the nurse's offered arm as she covered the two steps between their beds.

Gibbs was hooked up to a respiratory and had at least 4 IV bags hooked up to his wrist and jugular in turn. He had a white bandage wrapped around his forehead and his legs rested under what looked like a tent.

_Please let his leg be intact. Oh God. Please! _Ziva prayed as she moved to his feet. Then slowly she lifted the blanket.

"_Thank you, God. Thank you!"_ Ziva sobbed, practically collapsing in the nurse's arms as she saw both of Gibbs' feet.

"_Senorita, Shhhh! Everything …okay, Si. Your boyfriend… lucky man."_ The nurse spoke in broken English as she got Ziva back into her bed.

Ziva just continued to sob as her eyes remained glued to Gibbs' pale but for the first time, serene face.

_Jethro, I love you… Oh God, I really love you… _

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_**Author's Note:**_

_**That's it for this chapter.**_

_**The next chapter may be exclusively dedicated to Gibbs and Ziva.**_

_**So stay tuned and Review ASAP… Thanks**_


	22. Chapter 22

_**Author's Note :**_

_**Thank you for all the encouraging and wonderful reviews. You guys are great!**_

_**Here's the next chapter… Enjoy and Review ASAP… Thanks!**_

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In Ward 4A, Agent Tony DiNozzo was becoming more restless and agitated by the moment. His pain meds were wearing off and his concern for his colleagues was reaching unbearable proportions. All he wanted to do was get out of this hospital and onto a plane headed for home. But he couldn't do that until Gibbs woke up and he didn't even want to speculate about what would happen if Gibbs didn't wake up soon. All he knew was that his patience was being sorely tested and he was about ready to pull his hair out in frustration.

Just then Ducky and McGee entered his room.

"How are they? Did Gibbs wake up yet? Have they given him pain meds?" Tony shot off his enquiries.

"Ziva is awake and responding to the medication. Her fever is also under control. Jethro has not regained consciousness yet." Ducky replied. The ME looked and felt more drained then ever.

"Damn it, it's been 4 hours since his surgery." Tony growled as he rubbed his forehead.

Ducky noticed and pressed the nurse's station buzzer.

"When did the pain return?" He asked as he looked at Tony's chart. Unfortunately it was in Spanish so Ducky couldn't read all the details. He did however manage to understand the pulse, pressure and temperature readings and they looked normal.

He looked at Tony waiting for an answer.

"About 20 minutes ago." Tony reluctantly replied. He hated feeling so miserable and being of no use to the team.

When Cecile entered the room, she quickly looked Tony over and then she removed a syringe from her pocket.

"This will help with the pain." She said as she slipped the needle into Tony's IV line and administered a shot of Tramal before leaving the room.

"McGee, Report!" Tony ordered as he decided to focus on the case instead of his concerns for his teammates. McGee looked at him in annoyance before filling him in on the details.

"The military officers and the NCIS team are interrogating all the survivors. Most of them insist that they were asleep and only awoke as the plane was spiraling out of control."

"Where are the survivors now?" Tony asked as he leaned back and closed his eyes.

"They're being transported in rescue boats to a military holding facility where their prints will be taken. They will be held at the facility until their identities are confirmed and then they will be released." McGee replied as he removed what looked like burgers and fries from a paper bag. He also had coffee in Starbucks cups.

"Where did you get these from?" Tony asked, the aroma of Coffee calming him somewhat.

"There's a Starbucks and a Burger King just down the road." McGee replied before biting into his burger.

"Eat something Tony." Ducky ordered as he handed the coffee and burger over to Tony. All three men ate in silence and by the time they were done, Tony was already drifting asleep.

So McGee didn't get a chance reveal what Abby had told him about the grounded plane in Madrid or the hostage situation in Paris or the plane that went down in the Med.

_I'll fill Tony in when he wakes up. It's not like he can do anything about the information anyway,_ McGee reasoned as he watched Ducky dose off in the chair next to Tony's bed.

McGee cleared up the cups and burger boxes as his thoughts turned to Gibbs and Ziva. He had called the pilot on the FBI plane and ordered him to be ready to leave at a moment's notice. Now all he prayed for was that Gibbs would wake up ASAP, minus any permanent damage so that they could leave this place post haste.

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In the High Care ward, Ziva David continued to stare at her Boss. Her tears had long since dried up and she had managed to pull herself together to some degree. She watched as the ventilator pumped a measured dose of oxygen into Gibbs lungs, inflating his chest at regular intervals. She also watched as the nurse hooked up another pint of blood and checked the IV attached to his neck. The nurse then proceeded to take his temperature, pulse and blood pressure and voiced the readings so that the other another nurse in the room could note them in his chart.

"_Pilso, un cero seis" _

"_La temperature, un cero cinco" _

"_Sangre presión, ciento treinta y cinco sobre ciento cuatro"_

_Pulse106, Temperature 105 degrees Fahrenheit, and Blood pressure 135 over 104 _Ziva mentally translated.

The nurse gently lifted Gibbs' eyelids and shone a penlight touch into his eyes to see if he reacted. She simply nodded her head in the negative to indicate no response. Next she neatened the single bed sheet that covered Gibbs' body before leaving the room. The other nurse also left, taking a seat at a desk just outside the room, from which she could look into the room, via a glass window and monitor Gibbs and Ziva.

Ziva continued to stare at Gibbs, willing him with all her heart to wake up and to be okay. She remembered how she had visited him in the hospital after he had been hurt in the explosion. She had reached out to wrap her fingers around his bicep and he had reacted instantaneously by lifting his forearm and grabbing her elbow. She had been demanding then, insisting that he remember. He had glared at her as she had taken his arm and slapped the back of her head with his hand. That had jolted his memory. And then she had broken down while talking about Kate and Ari and he had wrapped her in his strong arms as she sobbed on his shoulder. He made her feel so ….. _safe._

_Maybe, I've been too soft with you Jethro. Maybe I should come and stand next to you and demand that you wake up. Maybe you need to know how much I want you to beat this…How much I want you to live…How much I … want you…How much I Lov…_

_**Beep!!! Beep!!! Beep!!!**_

Suddenly the High Care ward was filled with the sound of various monitor's going crazy.

_Pain…_ wave after wave of intense pain sliced through Gibbs' body. His head felt like it had been severed open by a hacksaw and some one was carving out his brain. His eyes were glued shut and his throat was wrapped around an alien object that forced unwanted gases into his body. Then the pain from his lower leg made a decisive decision to cloud out all the other discomforts he was aware of. It was this pain that gnawed at his senses, pushing him to the surface too fast. He felt like he was drowning, suffocating, unable to breathe even as the horrid tube forced oxygen into his lungs.

Suddenly frantic voices, speaking in an alien language, reached his ears, obscuring the crazy beeping sounds. The pain in his leg reached a crescendo forcing Gibbs' eyes open as a moan of pure agony rocked through his being.

"Agent Gibbs, blink your eyes twice rapidly if you can hear me?" Dr Sasha asked as she held onto his shoulders. Ziva was also at his side, her heart in her throat as she waited with bated breathe for Gibbs to respond. But he didn't seem to understand all that was happening around him.

_I have to get him to focus! I have to help him! _Ziva decided as she pushed a nurse out of the way and ignoring her body's aches and pains, she straddled Gibbs' hips.

"No, get off him!" A nurse shouted.

"_Senorita_, please we need to attend to him!" Dr Sasha pleaded.

Feeling the slight pressure on his midsection Gibbs stilled for a moment. Then the room started to come into focus and the voices around him started to gel together in a more recognizable form. Soon he felt soft but firm hands cup his face and a face…. a _beautiful, familiar_ face loomed above his.

"Jethro, do not fight the ventilation tube. Breath as the air enters your lungs." Ziva ordered. Gibbs struggled for a second longer until Ziva's words suddenly made sense. So as the next measured dose of oxygen was forced into his lungs he didn't fight it, but just went along with it. That helped to relieve the ache in his chest but it magnified the throbbing, slicing pain in his leg and thumping in his head.

"_Mmmm!"_ Gibbs moaned out and squeezed his eyes shut as he twisted his body in an effort to get away from the pain.

"Give him something for the pain, NOW!" Ziva growled at the Doctor, as her crotch unexpected came into firm contact with Gibbs' as he moved again.

"I need him to respond to a few questions first. Ask him to confirm if he knows you by blinking twice." Dr Sasha ordered even as she indicated that the nurses get the Morphine and other pain meds ready. Ziva ignored her body's response as Gibbs continued to move beneath her.

"Jethro, open your eyes and blink twice if you know who I am." Ziva ordered in a firm, clear and loud voice.

Gibbs obeyed her without procrastination as he rubbed against her again. The pain in his body didn't let up and now a new ache seemed to be building. It was beyond belief that in as much pain as he was in, he was able to recognize his mounting arousal. And what was worse was that Ziva could probably feel it and yet she stayed firmly in place, shielding his hardening flesh from the rest of the people in the room.

"Ask him to lift the thumbs on both hands." Dr Sasha asked and Ziva glared at her.

"Jethro, baby, please point your thumbs to the ceiling." Ziva asked her voice sharp but her hands still firmly on his face and her eyes looking deeply into his, assuring him that she was here for him.

It was difficult to get his pain riddled, aroused body to obey, but after two failed attempts, Gibbs managed to lift the thumbs of both hands and point them to the ceiling. Then his hands fell limply to his sides as his body trembled with arousal, pain and fever.

As Ziva turned to glare at the Doctor a nurse was already administering 35cc of Morphine into Gibbs' IV line. Another nurse administered 40cc of Tramadol via his second IV line. Gibbs continued to tremble in agony, of more than one kind, for another minute or so, before he slipped into a drugged filled, almost pain free haze.

It was only as she felt his body soften beneath her that Ziva release Gibbs' face and admitted to how drained she felt. The nurses helped her off of Gibbs and back into her bed, where they covered her shivering body with blankets and then administered her pain and fever medication.

Although she wanted to remain awake and watch over Gibbs, exhaustion overwhelmed her. As she started to drift into the realms of sleep a few thoughts lingered in her mind.

_Baby, you recognized me and responded to my requests. You're going to be okay! _

_Mmmmm, Jethro, I can still feel you between my legs. Now all I can think about is making…_

These thoughts led to Ziva's dreams being filled with Gibbs and her partaking of various carnal delights.

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_**Author's Note:**_

_**That's it for this chapter.**_

_**Do you want a glimpse into Ziva's dreams???**_

_**Let me know by reviewing and I'll see what I can do….**_

_**Oh and the case will continue in the next chapter so stay tuned and your comments are always welcome….**_


	23. Chapter 23

_**Author's Note:**_

_**Thanks for the reviews. I appreciate them.**_

_**Here's the next chapter…. **_

_**Do I reveal Ziva's dreams…? You'll just have to read to find out…**_

_**Enjoy and Review soon… Thanks!**_

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"I'm glad to report that Agent Gibbs woke up a few moments ago and he is coherent and responsive. We will be taking him for one more CT scan within the next 30 minutes and repeating the blood tests and if all is okay we will be removing his ventilation tube." Dr Sasha informed Ducky and McGee as Tony slept.

"That's great news!" McGee exclaimed.

"Thank god! McGee you'd better let the Director know." Ducky advised.

"When will you discharge him and let us take him home?" Ducky asked the doctor.

"If he's scan and blood tests come back clear, and if his fever drops by 2 more degrees, I will not hesitate to discharge him and then all of you may return home."

"What about Ziva?" McGee asked as Tony started to stir.

"She is doing very well. The only concern right now is the infection and fever but her fever is not as high as Agent Gibbs'. I could release her right now with your guarantee that you will force her to rest and you will keep her of fluids for the next 24 hours at least. Mind you the same will be necessary for Agent Gibbs once he is discharged." Dr Sasha replied.

"Yes of course. We will take excellent care of them while on the flight and they will be taken straight to Bethesda Hospital once we arrive in Washington." Ducky nodded his head.

"We'll make arrangements to leave in about 3 hour's time." McGee stated and Tony smiled as he realized that they would only be planning to leave if Gibbs was okay.

After Doctor Sasha left the room, Ducky brought Tony fully up to speed as McGee called Abby and told her the good news.

"Oh McGee, I could just kiss you. Gibbs, my silver haired fox and Ziva, our lady of steel, are both okay. Well there was never any doubt. I mean Gibbs does everything on his own schedule so why not this too." Abby cooed.

"Yes Abby. I have to …." McGee tried to interrupt.

"Oh McGee, this is the absolute best news we've had all day what with imagining all those people lying dead in the Mediterranean Sea and those other's being held hostage in Paris. Oh this whole business has made me vow never to set foot on a plane ever again for as long as I am alive!" Abby rambled on and on until McGee pretended that the connection was bad and cut her off.

Tony just grinned as Ducky shook his head. McGee ignored them as he immediately dialed the Director's number.

"Yes Mam. We're planning to leave as soon as the doctor gives Gibbs the all clear." McGee stated.

"Have you seeing Jethro yet?" Jenny asked her heart beat quickening in relief.

"No Mam, we haven't seen him yet because he is currently in the radiology department having a second CT scan. As soon as he is done, we will be allowed to see him." McGee continued.

"Okay. How's Agent DiNozzo?" Jenny asked.

"Tony's okay. He just has a few bruised ribs and a concussion." McGee replied as he looked at Tony who was trying to glare at him.

"Well tell him that he will be receiving an official apology, in writing from that officer within the next two days." Jenny smirked as she remembered how she had treated to have the officer court marshaled for assaulting a Federal Agent on a joint mission with the Brazilian Military.

"What, you took this up with the Brazilian Military and they are going to give Tony an official apology. Wow, you must know a few people in very high places." McGee observed and Tony started to grin.

"And Tim, I'm very impressed with the way you've handled yourself during this whole debacle and Jethro will hear about it soon." Jenny replied, genuine in her praise.

"Thank you, Mam. I'll call you as soon we have any news." McGee replied before hanging up.

"Don't let whatever she said go to your head, McGee. Desperate times call for desperate actions. And since you are an Agent, whatever you have done is what has been expected from you." Tony stated as he saw the way McGee's face had lit up at the end of his conversation with Jenny.

McGee thought for a second and realized that this was as close as Tony would ever get to praising him, so all he said was, "Thanks Tony and I'll always have your six."

As the two agents looked at each other both were aware of a subtle change in their relationship. Ducky could also sense it as he looked from one to the other. Tony nodded his head gently as McGee smiled and nodded back.

Then putting on a stern face Tony decided to play senior agent again.

"Now how are we going to get to the airport once Gibbs is cleared for travel?"

Tony wasn't planning on taking 2 hours to travel through Manaus' hectic traffic to get to the back to the airport.

"There is a helicopter waiting for us on the roof. We should reach the airport within 15 minutes and the plane is gassed and ready to leave. There are 2 medical teams on board with all the necessary medical gear as well as two pilots and 4 stewardesses to take care of our needs on the flight." McGee replied.

"4 stewardesses, mmmm One to rub my aching head and another to feed me and another to pour my drinks and one to tuck him in. Oh that's going to be exactly what the doctor ordered." Tony grinned.

Now that he knew that Gibbs was going to be okay, he slipped back into being Tony, the playboy who didn't have a care in the world.

Ducky and McGee just rolled their eyes at him and then all three of them waiting for the Doctor's feedback.

--------------------------------------------------------------

As Gibbs was wheeled back into his room, he was once again awake. He realized that the ventilation tube had been removed as he didn't feel like he was gagging. He also knew that they were giving him pain meds as his body felt numb and heavy but pain free.

He took a moment to look around the room.

_Are we will in South America, or are we in Washington? _

Then he heard the nurses speaking to each other in Spanish and he concluded,

_Brazil._

As the nurses left the room, Gibbs looked around the room again and took in more details.

_Ziva?!? _Gibbs realized that she was lying in the bed next to him. She appeared to be asleep but she also seemed restless. Her face was flushed and her hands were twisted into the bed sheet. She was perspiring and as she tossed and turned her gown slipped down her arm and revealed her creamy shoulder.

Gibbs closed his eyes as he remembered snip-bits of their time together. The way they kissed and played a couple on the flight. The way she comforted him as _Edua.. Edu … _something worked on his leg. The way she had been shivering as an Argentinean woman had undressed her right in front of him.

_Beautiful. I called you beautiful and you are very beautiful…_

Ziva chose that moment to moan as she arched her body delicately on the bed and the sheet slipped off her raised knee revealing her thigh and shapely leg. Seeing her like that, made Gibbs' jaw drop open, as desire built within him.

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Ziva was trapped in a sensuous dream with her Boss and she didn't want to wake up from this particular dream, not anytime soon.

"_Oh Jethro, mmmm!" Ziva moaned out as Gibbs nuzzled her neck, sending goose bumps across her body._

_Then the straps of her dress were being tugged down her arms and Gibbs' trailed kissed down her neck to the tops of her creamy breasts. At the same time his hands roamed freely up and down her back, cupping her bottom and pulling her into firm contact with his arousal. _

_Ziva shuddered as her desire built. She reached for Gibbs' face and pulled his lips back up to meet hers. She demanded entry into his mouth and he gave in to her request. She spun him around so that he was now pinned to the wall. Then she unbuttoned his shirt and placed a kiss on every bit of flesh she revealed._

"_Ziva… You're driving me crazy." Gibbs growled as Ziva held his wrists flush against the wall, while she continued to place feather light kisses across his chest. As she straightened and placed a firm kiss against his lips, Gibbs decided to give her taste of her own medicine. He releases his hands and reversed positions with her. Only this time her front was flush against the wall and he was pressed firmly against her whole body._

_She rolled her hips, rubbing against his arousal and he growled in sexual hunger._

"_Ziva!"_

"_Jethro!" _

"_Now!" They both moaned in unisons._

_That was when Gibbs reached for her tong and pulled it aside and then he…_

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"_Mmmm, Jethro!"_ Ziva moaned out loud and Gibbs stared at her, his desire clearly evident now. Her body was writhing as she continued calling out his name.

"_Oh God…. Jethro…. Yes….."_ Ziva murmured and her movements on the bed became more erratic. And then her face contorted like she was in pain and Gibbs feared that her arousal may lead to her getting hurt, so he did the only thing that he could.

"Ziva! Ziva wake up!" Gibbs murmured his throat still raw from having the ventilation tube in.

"_Jethro…!?!"_ Ziva moaned as awareness forced her eyes open. She was still heavy and dewy from her dream. She moaned and growled at the ache deep within her as she realized that she wouldn't find release now.

"Ziva?" Gibbs called out again.

_Oh God, no! Does he know what I was dreaming…feeling just now? Oh crap. How am I ever going to face him? _Ziva mentally moaned as her skin turned a deep shade of pink.

"Ziva, are you okay?" Gibbs asked a smirk on his lips as he knew that she wasn't really okay. She had been having a _wet dream_ about _him _and he had just robbed her of her release.

"Gibbs, _I'm … fine!"_ Ziva lied as she turned to look at a point on the wall above his head.

"You sure? Or would you like me to come over there and complete what started in your… _dream_." Gibbs asked his face serious.

Ziva blinked twice before looking more closely at Gibbs and seeing evidence of his arousal under the paper thin sheet that covered him.

"_Jethro?!" _Ziva said it like a caress as she got out of her bed and walked the two short steps to his bed side. Seeing her approach like that, made Gibbs' heart beat increase and his breathe catch.

_I want you, Jethro and if there's just the slightest chance that you want me too, there's no way I'm going let that slip by me._

"_Ziva!" _Gibbs moaned as Ziva placed her cool hand against his heated cheek and leaned forward.

"Jethro, we'll have plenty of time later to play out my dreams. But for now, this is what I want." Ziva whispered as she leaned the last few millimeters forward and placed her lips lightly against his. Gibbs moaned out huskily as he moved his hand into her hair and pulled her more firmly against his lips, demanding entry into her mouth. Ziva gave in and at the first tango of their tongues, both of them moaned out in ecstasy.

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_**Author's Note:**_

_**That's it for this chapter.**_

_**Let me know if you're still enjoying it.**_

_**The next chapter returns to the Felipe angle and the case….**_

_**So stay tuned and reviews would be very nice…. Thanks!**_


	24. Chapter 24

_**Author's Note:**_

_**Thank you for the great reviews and I must apologize for the spelling errors in the last chapter.**_

_**Here's the next chapter. Enjoy and Review soon…. Thanks!**_

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"Gibbs… mmmm …Jethro …we need to…. Mmmm." Ziva whispered and gasped as Gibbs refused to let her pull away. His lips and teeth teased her to distraction and she became even more aroused then when she had been dreaming.

"Ziva… mmm … more!" Gibbs demanded as his lips skimmed her chin and moved to her neck. His hands moved to pull her hospital gown out of his way. He couldn't believe that this was happening and that she had initiated it.

"Oh Jethro…. we need to _stop_!" Ziva moaned even as she leaned closer to him, his lips brushing the tops of her creamy breasts.

"_Senorita, ah Dios, No! Señor Gibbs… rest! No time for …" _The nurse admonished as she throw her hands in the air.

Ziva gasped for breathe as she pulled away from Gibbs. Then she caught Gibbs' expression. He was shooting daggers at the nurse and Ziva burst out laughing. Now Gibbs turned his famous glare on her, his breathing harsh from their heated kisses.

"Jethro, we'll…" Ziva winced as she placed her injured leg onto the ground more firmly then she should have.

"Ziva, you okay?" Gibbs asked as he realized that she was injured and he had not even bothered to find out how she was doing. Instead all he could think about was pulling her back and tasting her lips again.

"_Senorita _back to …bed." The nurse ordered as she pressed the buzzer for the doctor.

"Ziva?" Gibbs growled as he watched her limp to her bed. He tried to sit up but that was a very, very bad idea as it caused his vision to blur and pain to radiate in all directions in his skull.

"Jethro, I'm okay." Ziva replied as the nurse covered her.

"_Argh!"_ Gibbs sighed as he lay back and closed his eyes. He could feel pain racing up and down his leg too.

_Oh God, please let my leg still be intact!_

Gibbs lifted his aching head and blinked a few times to clear his foggy vision. Then he looked down his naked body, past his chest, abdomen, thighs and sighed in relief when he saw both feet.

_They didn't take my leg!_

Ziva watched him and tears gathered in her eyes as she heard his sigh of relief.

"_Señor Gibbs, very naughty boy!" _The nurse scolded as she approached him.

Then she placed a thermometer under his arm and took his pulse and blood pressure. Just then Dr Sasha walked into the room.

"Agent Gibbs, Officer David, How are you feeling?" Dr Sasha asked.

The nurse rattled off in Spanish and the doctor raised an eyebrow as she looked from Ziva to Gibbs. Ziva blushed and Gibbs ignored the doctor's look.

Then the nurse started ticking off Gibbs' vital signs.

"_Pilso 82, La temperature 101.5, Sangre presión 130 over 96"_

"Very good, you are doing much better Agent Gibbs. I will be discharging you and Officer David within the next hour. Nurse, prepare them for transport." Dr Sasha instructed. She gave the nurse a list of antibiotics and pain meds to pack for both patients.

As soon as the doctor and nurse left the room, Gibbs and Ziva turned to look at each other.

"Ziva…"

"Jethro…"

They both spoke at the same time. Then Ziva indicated that Gibbs should continue.

"Ziva, I don't remember everything that happened out there, but I do remember … you caring for me." Gibbs whispered.

He was never good at saying _'thank you'_ but he knew that he had to thank her. She had probably saved his life and stopped them from taking his leg.

Ziva looked at him and blushed as she remembered being undressed in front of him and the way he had looked at her. They had connected on some deeper level in that moment.

"Ziva what I'm trying to say is… _Thank you_." Gibbs whispered.

"Gibbs …" Ziva started to say but Gibbs cut her off.

"And this thing that's happening between us… I want to explore it. I can't make any promises, any commitments … but I want to see where it leads." Gibbs stated in a rush.

Ziva remained quiet and Gibbs thought, _okay that's the end. She's not interested. Ah damn what the hell did I expect? I'm not in my prime and she's a beautiful, young, vibrant woman. Of course she wouldn't want anything to do with an old bastard like me._

"Jethro, firstly you don't have to thank me. And secondly I really like your idea about exploring this … thing between us." Ziva surprised Gibbs with her response.

He looked at her to see if she was pulling his leg. But she was smiling and blushing almost shyly and he knew that she meant what she had just said.

"But I don't want Tony or…" Ziva started to say.

"No one else must know." Gibbs concurred.

"What should no one else know?" Ducky asked as he, Tony and McGee walked into the room.

"We were talking about the case." Ziva quickly said the blush still staining her cheeks.

"Ziva is your fever still spiking? You look so flushed." Tony gasped as he moved forward and placed a hand against her forehead raising Gibbs' ire.

"No, Tony, I'm fine!" Ziva growled as she pushed Tony's hand away.

"DiNozzo, if you're done pawing Officer David, I'd like an update on the case." Gibbs growled.

"Jethro…" Ducky started as McGee said, "Boss,…"

Both of them were cut off by Tony.

"Boss, can you please do me a favour? Next time you need a vacation can you try something more sedate. I mean I know that the Amazon has a certain charm, but it really isn't your thing." Tony growled his voice raw with emotion.

That was when Gibbs and Ziva noticed the weariness in the team. McGee and Ducky looked exhausted and Tony, he had a bruise on his cheek and he was favouring his side.

"What happened to you?" Ziva asked, concern lacing her voice.

"Me, nothing. I'm fine." Tony replied.

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs growled, ignoring how raising his voice caused his head to pound mercilessly.

"Anthony got into a bit of a tiff with one of the military officers on the rescue team. He ended up with a few bruised ribs and a concussion for his trouble." Ducky replied as he observed Gibbs.

He was glad to note that Gibbs' eyes were clear and his speech wasn't slurred or incoherent. And his toes were moving ever so slightly under the blanket.

_I don't even think his aware of it. _

"Boss it's nothing." Tony replied.

"Okay, so what do you have for me?" Gibbs asked as he looked at McGee and Tony.

"Well quiet a few things have happened while you and Ziva were out enjoying the Amazon." Tony chirped.

"Yeah, you wrestle with a monster anaconda and tell me how much fun that is!" Ziva growled her aching leg and thwarted arousal making her a bit more snappish then usual.

Tony grimaced as Ducky shook his heard in sympathy.

Gibbs stared at her shocked that he had forgotten that detail.

McGee shuddered but when Gibbs' eyes landed on him he quickly stated, "After your plane went down, a plane in Madrid was grounded and explosives were found on it."

"Currently there is a hostage situation unfolding at Charles De Gaulle International Airport in Paris" Tony quickly continued.

"And a passenger aircraft crashed into the Mediterranean. All passengers are feared dead." Ducky stated before he went back to looking at Gibbs' chart.

"So what the hell are we still doing here!?" Gibbs growled as he pushed himself up on the bed.

"Jethro, don't move!" Ducky shouted as he and Tony reached out to steady Gibbs who was suddenly looking very green. Ziva wanted to go to him, but she knew that she couldn't, not now, not with the whole team there.

_Jethro baby, please take it easy!_

"Damn it, Duck get me something for this mother of all head aches and then let's get out of here!" Gibbs growled as he allowed Tony and Ducky to lay him back against the pillows.

"Boss everything's set. We'll be leaving in the next 15 minutes." McGee confirmed as the nurse walked back into the room, two small IV bags in hand. She hooked one each to Gibbs and Ziva's existing IV lines as she murmured, "For … Pain, Si"

When she returned a second time, it was with clothes for Ziva and Gibbs. Tony and McGee helped Gibbs into his, as the nurse helped Ziva into hers. And then Gibbs and Ziva were transferred to wheelchairs and wheeled out to the elevator.

As soon as the elevator doors closed behind them, Felipe walked out of the 2nd elevator that had just arrived on that floor.

_High Care Ward 6c. Their condition must be critical. And when a patient is critical anything can happen. Death can happen! _Felipe smiled.

But High Care Ward 6C was empty.

"Where are the patients from the room?" Felipe asked the nurse who was tidying up the room.

"They were discharged, _Señor._" The nurse replied.

_No! I'm too late. I need to get to America immediately. _

_And with the help of my brothers, I will take care of Gibbs and Ziva, on their precious American soil, _Felipe decided as he rushed out of the hospital.

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_**Author's Note:**_

_**That's it for this chapter.**_

_**The next chapter has some very interesting Gibbs and Ziva moments, on the plane.**_

_**Oh and Felipe also contacts his 'brothers'.**_

_**So stay tuned and review ASAP… Thanks!**_


	25. Chapter 25

_**Author's Note:**_

_**Thank you as always for the great reviews. I really appreciate them.**_

_**Here's the next chapter.**_

_**Enjoy and review soon…. Thanks!**_

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By the time they got to the plane, Gibbs was exhausted. His head throbbed incessantly and he kept his eyes closed in an effort to control the nausea plaguing him. His leg felt like a heavy, pain riddled log and his foot was ice cold, making him fear that there was no circulation in his leg and foot.

Ziva was also feeling drained and having her leg hanging down led to millions of pins and needles racing up and down it. Her side was also tender and sitting made her side clench and spasm.

The team of Nurses and Doctors helped Gibbs and Ziva into seats on the plane and covered them with blankets.

Once settled Gibbs opened his eyes and looked at Ziva.

"_You okay?"_ He whispered as he saw her eyes closed and she was biting her lower lip.

Ziva opened her eyes and looked at him as she whispered back, _"Yes. I'm fine… and you?"_

"_I'm … okay."_ Gibbs winced as pain pulsed at a sensitive spot at the back of his eyes.

"_Yes, I think we've both very fine."_ Ziva gasped as her side cramped up. Gibbs reached discretely under the blanket and took her hand in his. She squeezed his hand in response as both of them took steadying breathes.

When the doctors and nurses approached them again they introduced themselves.

"I'm Dr Baxter and this is Dr Holmes. This is Joan and Sarah. We'll be taking care of you while on this flight. You'll have to sit strapped in these chairs while we take off. Once the pilot gives us the all clear, we'll move you to the bedroom at the back."

Then the nurses and doctors checked Ziva and Gibbs' vital signs. Gibbs' pressure was slightly elevated and his temperature had spiked to 102.5. Ziva's temperature wasn't faring any better at 102.

Ducky saw the way Gibbs and Ziva looked move flushed and they kept stealing glances at each other. _A life threatening experience usually works to bring people closer together. _

The doctors took a few minutes to make sure that Gibbs and Ziva injuries were still securely wrapped and that no bleeding was evident. Then they administered pain killers and antibiotics via their IV lines.

"We should elevate their' injured legs. I'm sure that resting it down like that is making the pain worse." Ducky observed as he looked over both patients charts. The nurses then sat in the seats opposite Ziva and Gibbs and gently lifted their injured legs. They strapped their legs into braces and then proceeded to gently rub their feet to get the circulation going.

Gibbs and Ziva just sat back and kept still as pain and sensation returned to their injured limbs.

Tony and McGee watched Gibbs and Ziva. They could see that they were in pain and they wished that there was someway to ease it for them. Then they caught each other's eyes and realized that they were just standing and staring when there was still work to do.

"I'll call Jenny and let her know we're leaving." Tony said as he took a seat and clipped the buckle. McGee nodded as he also sat down and called Abby. Ducky took a seat next to Gibbs.

----------------------------------------------

"Director Sheppard." Jenny answered.

"Mam, Gibbs and Ziva are now on board the plane and we will be taking off in about 5 minutes."

"Is Jethro okay? What's the prognosis on his leg?" Jenny asked as she sat down behind her desk.

"He has a headache from hell and his legs hurting just as bad. He still has a high fever but his back to being Gibbs. With a few days rest he'll be as good as new. Ducky saw his toes moving earlier and he says that that's a very good sign." Tony replied.

"Good." Jenny sighed in relief. "How's Ziva doing?"

"She's also tired, in pain and battling a fever. But she's really tough. She fought off an anaconda for God's sake!" Tony emphasized as he rubbed his head. His headache was starting to make itself known.

"What?" Jenny gasped in shock.

"We'll tell you everything when we get them home. The two teams of doctors and nurses are checking them out right now and hooking up some more meds so they should be okay during the flight." Tony tiredly said.

"Okay. I'll have a chopper waiting at the airport to take them straight to Bethesda." Jenny replied.

"Is there any news on the situation in France?" Tony asked as he closed his eyes for a second, his headache getting worse.

"The hostage situation has ended badly. When the French Military stormed the plane, the terrorists detonated the explosives on board. All passengers, crew and the terrorists are dead." Jenny replied.

"Damn it, how the hell are we going to stop these bastards?" Tony growled in frustration as he imagined how many families would be grieving this night.

"DiNozzo, all I want you to focus on right now is getting back to Washington and getting Jethro and Ziva safely to Bethesda. Have either of them spoken about their ordeal or about what exactly happened?" Jenny asked.

"Mmm Mam, to be honest, all of us were just focused on getting out of the hospital and to the airport." Tony replied, as he squeezed his eyes closed and grimaced.

"Speak to them during the flight and get back to me if you have anything significant to report." Jenny ordered before hanging up.

"Yes Mam." Tony replied to the dead line.

"Are you okay, Agent DiNozzo?" Dr Baxter asked. Ducky had noticed how Tony's expression had been changing.

"It's just a headache." Tony replied.

"I'll give you something for it." Dr Baxter said as he quickly checked Tony's blood pressure and pupils. Then he withdrew a syringe and filled it with a clear liquid. He suggested giving the shot on Tony's butt, but Tony wasn't prepared to draw more attention so he offered his upper arm instead. And just as the doctor had warned, the shot stung like the dickens.

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"McGee, I want to speak to Gibbs!" Abby demanded after McGee informed her of where they were and what was happening.

"Abby, he's exhausted and looks like his asleep." McGee replied. Gibbs' head was tilted back and his eyes were closed. And there was no way McGee was going to disturb him now.

"Okay, but tell him that I'll be waiting at the airport for him and that I love him and I've been so worried and I'm going to handcuff him to my lab so that I can keep an eye on him forever so that I don't have to ever feel as lost as I have these last few days. Oh and tell Ziva that I'm really happy that she didn't die." Abby rambled, her voice becoming thick with unshed tears.

"Yeah Abby, we're all relieved that they're okay. See you in a few hours." McGee replied before hanging up.

-------------------------------------------

Half an hour after taken off, the doctors and nurses helped Gibbs and Ziva to the back of the plane.

"Great, this must be Fornell's idea of a joke. He knew we had two patients and he provided only one bed." Tony growled as the medical team lowered Gibbs on one side of the double bed and Ziva on the other.

Gibbs and Ziva looked at each other and were hard pressed not to reveal how well this arrangement suited them.

"Okay, we'll check on you every hour. If you need anything, just press those buzzers on the sides of the bed. Try to sleep now." Dr Holmes instructed as he and the rest of the medical team left the room.

Tony, McGee and Ducky however stayed in the room and none of them knew how to react the sight of Gibbs and Ziva lying prone in the same bed.

"Are you planning to watch us sleep?" Gibbs growled impatience making his voice sharp.

"No.." McGee stammered and left the room first.

"Jethro, Ziva just call if you need anything." Ducky stated as he also left the room.

"Boss I could stay if you want to talk." Tony offered.

"No!" Gibbs and Ziva growled together.

"Okay, well be good kids and don't do anything you'll regret in the morning." Tony chirped and just missed being hit in the head by a pillow.

------------------------------------------

"Finally, alone." Gibbs murmured and he turned to face Ziva.

"Yes so what do you have in mind, _Jethro_?" Ziva whispered as she also turned to face Gibbs.

The pain meds had kicked in and lying down helped to relief the cramps and the lack of circulation in their lower limbs.

"Whatever you like, _Ziva_." Gibbs replied as he rubbed the tip of his nose again hers. Ziva sighed as she leaned closer. Her hand found its way to his chest and he's settled lightly on her hip just below her bandages.

Then Ziva leaned in a bit more and gently touched her lips to Gibbs'. Gibbs smiled as he moved closer and locks his lips more securely to hers. Ziva ran her tongue along the seam of Gibbs' lips and he willingly allowed her entry.

"Mmmm." Ziva moaned as Gibbs took charge of the kiss and stroked her tongue gently. Then he sucked on her tongue and drew it deep into his mouth. Ziva moaned out in pleasure and then she retreated from him mouth and he followed into hers. He explored every inch of her mouth and she willingly surrendered to his ministrations. Then it was her turn again and she was licking, tasting, stroking and even gently biting his tongue.

"_Ziva! Mmmm…." _

At the same time her hands had found their way under his t-shirt and she was caressing his chest, running her fingers rhythmically over his nipples and driving him crazy.

Gibbs' hands were also busy caressing Ziva's hips as he gently pushed her elasticated pants down. His hand moved around to her smooth, firm bottom and he squeezed gently drawing her closer. Then his hand was moving down the front of her pants and as his fingertips brushed against her sensitive nub, both of them moaned out in desire.

Both knew that this was as far as it could go for now, with their injuries hampering anything more strenuous. But just the fact that they were doing this and they couldn't seem to get enough of each other was amazing to both of them.

Just then they heard DiNozzo's voice, "I'll just see if they need anything else."

"_Ohh!"_ Ziva gasped, in anger and frustration as she quickly turned away from Gibbs.

"_I'm going to kill him!"_ Gibbs threatened as he too turned away from Ziva and tried to get his breathing under control.

"Hey Boss, Ziva. Can I … _mmm_, Doctors' I think you need to get in here! They're really flushed and they're breathing way too heavily." Tony called out in concern.

Gibbs wished that DiNozzo was standing closer to him, so that he could give him one of his famous head slaps. Ziva just pulled the blanket over her head, her blush deepening.

Within two seconds, the Doctors, nurses, Ducky, McGee and Tony were swarming around Gibbs and Ziva again. Despite their protests, threats and glares the Doctors proceeded to examine them again.

Ducky then quietly suggested that the doctors' sedate them so that they could get the rest they both needed. Ducky also had an inkling of what was going on and he knew that neither of them was in any condition to be pursuing such activities. The doctors agreed and no one told Gibbs and Ziva.

So when everyone left the room again, Ziva and Gibbs pulled close to each other. Ziva placed her head on Gibbs' shoulder as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She kissed his neck and he her forehead as they promptly fell asleep.

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_**Author's Note:**_

_**That's if for this chapter.**_

_**Next chapter, Felipe called his brothers and sets another plan into motion.**_

_**And Tony goes to wake Gibbs and Ziva as the plane is about to land.**_

_**So stay tuned and reviews keep me motivated… Thanks!**_


	26. Chapter 26

_**Author's Note: **_

_**Thank you for all the reviews and I'm sorry about the delay in updating this story.**_

_**I guess writing 3 stories are the same time is crazy!**_

_**Anyway, here's the next chapter… Enjoy and Review ASAP… Thanks!**_

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"Abba Altoub, It is me."

"_Insha Allah_, Yaseen! I had feared that we had lost you forever." Altoub exclaimed in joy.

"Abba, it is good to hear your voice." Yaseen aka Felipe smiled.

"As it is to hear your's! Are you hurt?" Altoub asked in concern.

"No, I am safe and in Manaus, Brazil. T'ariq and Isam are no more. Abba I need to leave this place." Felipe stated a bit sharply.

"Of course, I will arrange for a ticket to be waiting for you at American Airlines counter…" Altoub said.

"Abba, I need to stop in Washington before heading home. I have a small problem which needs to be taken care of." Yaseen stated.

"What?" Altoub asked.

Yaseen told his father about Gibbs and Ziva and the possibility that they may have information about their plans.

"Do not worry my Son. My man will meet you when you land in Washington and he will help you take care of these pests. I can not wait to see you again. God's Speed, _Salaam_." Altoub said.

"_Salaam_, Abba." Yaseen replied as he hung up and took a seat near the American Airlines counter at Manaus International Airport.

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Somewhere in America, Altoub called his most trusted employees together.

"Yaseen is alive and on his way to America." He stated.

"_Insha Allah_!" Naeem stated.

"_Sukran_!" Riaz concurred.

"But he has a few pests that could ruin our plans. They are Federal Agents Gibbs and David. You will send Haroun to Washington to meet Yaseen and together they will find and eliminate these pests." Altoub ordered.

Naeem and Riaz nodded their heads as they left the room to do as requested.

_Things are progressing well. France and Spain are on high alert as is the U.S. and Argentina. Soon we will be able to proceed with the rest of our plan. And they won't even see it coming_, Altoub mused as he sipped his rich Lebanese coffee.

--------------------------------------------------------

"Please let me come to the airport. Please, Madam Director. I need to see Gibbs with my own eyes." Abby begged Jenny.

Jenny smiled at the loving daughter image Abby portrayed. She knew that Abby had been just as worried as she had been about Gibbs and Ziva and despite it she had still managed to do her job. So Jenny gave in, "Okay, Abby, you can come to the airport and see them."

"Thank you Madam Director, you are the best. _Mmm_, can I also go to Bethesda and make sure that they are settled." Abby tried to push her luck.

"Abby I need you here, scanning all the passengers and crews details through Interpol. You can come to the airport but then you need to return to the lab and continue working on the case." Jenny ordered.

Abby nodded. She knew that it was important to find out who was behind these attacks. They seemed random, but they had to be linked somehow. At this stage Grisham's team was working closely with the FBI and CIA to cross reference their information while Abby was scrutinising the passenger lists from the 4 flights to see if there were any ties between any of the people on board the flights. So far she had had no luck.

"Abby, once they're discharged from the hospital, we'll all have a turn to take care of them." Jenny promised and Abby seemed satisfied.

Just then Jenny's phone rang.

"Director, they should be landing in just over an hour." Fornell stated.

"Thank you Agent Fornell. I already have a chopper waiting to take them to Bethesda. The rest of the team will be brought back to NCIS. Do you have anything new to report?" Jenny replied.

"We believe that the master mind behind the attacks is already in the U.S." Fornell stated.

"What? Who is he and where is he?" Jenny growled.

"We don't know, not yet. But there has been a lot of movement from various U.S. bank accounts to bank accounts in France, Spain, Algeria and Argentina. The bank account numbers are encrypted and the account holders' details are scrambled. The transfers are of small amounts from various accounts so as not to draw attention. But if you cross reference them, you get a clearer picture of the amounts changing hands." Fornell informed her.

"Sent whatever you have to us. Abby will probably be able to crack the encryption before anyone at the FBI could." Jenny ordered and Abby grinned at the praise.

"Okay, I'll see what I can do and I'll meet you at the airport within the next hour." Fornell replied before hanging up.

"Abby, don't you have work to do?" Jenny asked as Abby continued to grin at her.

"I'm out of here." Abby saluted Jenny as she headed for the door.

"We leave for the airport in 30 minutes." Jenny stated as Abby opened the door.

"I'll be waiting in the parking lot for you." Abby confirmed as she closed the door behind her.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

On the plane from Manaus to Washington, Agent Gibbs slept fitfully next to Officer David.

His fever induced dreams were taking him through the traumatic events of the last few days.

_Suspicious flight attendants._

_Planned attack at a conference on American soil._

_Touching Ziva…._

_Diversions…in various capitals of the world._

_Kissing Ziva's chin, neck…_

_Botched hostage situation … Miami International._

_Ziva's head on my lap ... my hands in her silky hair._

_Spiralling out of control _

_Pain! Intense piercing pain._

_Fear … My head … My leg…_

_They're taking my leg!_

Ziva felt Gibbs tossing and turning next to her. She opened her eyes and found him murmuring, _"My leg… No …Don't take … Aaahhh!"_

"Jethro, shh, it's just a dream." Ziva whispered as she sat up in the bed and placed her hand on his cheek.

"_Mmmm, No… not my leg!"_ Gibbs continued to murmur as he tried to pull away from Ziva's cool hand.

"Gibbs! Wake up." Ziva said more firmly as she held his face between her hands.

"_No!"_ Gibbs jerked awake, horror in his eyes.

"Gibbs, look at me. You're okay. It was just a dream." Ziva whispered as she leaned in and kissed him lightly on the lips.

Gibbs felt so confused and shaken. He moved his leg deliberately just to feel the pain slice through it. As he grimaced he was reassured that his leg had not been removed.

Ziva understood where he was coming from so she just leaned forward and kissed him again. Gibbs latched onto her, pulling her half on top of him, burying his fingers in her hair as he kissed her back passionately. He poured all his fear, tension and despair into that kiss and Ziva just held him close and soothed him with her hands and her whispered moans.

"Jethro, Ziva, It's time to …." Ducky started to say as he entered the back of the plane.

"Oh Dear." Ducky exclaimed as he saw their heated embrace. _Oh you two! This is not the time or the place for this!_

Gibbs and Ziva were so lost in each other that they didn't even hear Ducky.

"What is it Ducky?" Tony asked as he walked up to the back of the plane.

Ziva pulled away from Gibbs but Gibbs wasn't done yet. He pulled her back and continued devouring her lips.

"Nothing Anthony, let's give them another few minutes." Ducky said in a rather loud voice as he pushed Tony away from the room.

"Ducky the pilot's going to start his decent soon, so we have to get them into their seats now." McGee stated as he took his seat.

"_Mmm, Gibbs we have to stop!"_ Ziva whispered as she pulled away from him again and nodded towards the sounds at the door. Gibbs reluctantly let her go.

"We'll help Agent Gibbs and Officer David to their seats. Now if you could please take your seats." Dr Holmes stated as he and the nurses moved into the room.

By this time Ziva was once again lying on her side of the bed. She was annoyed that she and Gibbs had been interrupted. _Yes I know that we have to take it easy for the next few days, but damn it I just want to continue kissing and holding him without interruptions._

"When we are discharged from the hospital you will move in with me." Gibbs stated as the Doctor and nurses helped them up.

"What? No, I can't. I don't want everyone to know. Do you?" Ziva asked as she put minimum pressure on her leg.

"No! _But I want you … close_. We'll stay together and pretend we are taking care of each other." Gibbs stated his heated eyes roaming over Ziva's body. The _taking care_ he was referring to sent pleasurable sensations rippling through Ziva's body.

"But we wouldn't be pretending, would we Gibbs? We need to _…"_ Ziva started to say.

"Ziva it's not up for debate. You'll stay with me and that's final." Gibbs growled.

And then he gasped as putting his leg down sent a multitude of shooting pains through his leg. At the same time the room seemed to shrink and expand at lightening speed, causing Gibbs to stumble forward.

"Jethro!" Ziva cried out.

"Easy Agent Gibbs. I've got you. Just take a few deep breathes. That's it." Dr Holmes ordered as he supported 50 of Gibbs' weight.

Tony rushed into the room upon hearing Ziva's shout. He helped the doctor by wrapped his arm around Gibbs' waist. Then he and the doctor moved together as they got Gibbs out of the room and into his seat. Gibbs' face was covered with perspiration as his body trembled.

The nurses helped Ziva out of the room and when she sat down next to Gibbs she automatically reached out for his hand. Tony noticed her squeezing Gibbs' hand as the Doctor quickly took Gibbs' vital signs. McGee followed Tony's eyes and raised his eyebrows in surprise.

He was not surprised that Ziva was offering Gibbs comfort. He was surprised because she seemed so comfortable touching Gibbs and he held onto her hand just as comfortably.

"What is it, Doctor?" Ducky asked with concern as he sat next to Gibbs and took in his pallor and ragged breathing.

"Agent Gibbs' fever's up again and so is his blood pressure. I'm going to hook him up to an oxygen dispenser to ease his breathing and I'm going to give him something for the pain and fever." Dr Holmes stated as he nodded his head to Joan. She rushed off to the back of the plane to get what was required.

At the same time, Dr Baxter checked on Ziva and confirmed that she was doing very well. He did however give her a painkiller. Then Sarah draped a blanket of each agent while Joan placed the oxygen mask over Gibbs's face. At the same time Dr Holmes administered the pain and fever meds into Gibbs' IV.

Ziva held onto Gibbs' hand until she saw the way DiNozzo, McGee and Ducky were looking at her. As she tried to pull her hand out of Gibbs' grasp, he squeezed her hand indicating that he didn't want her to pull away.

She looked at him and he looked so vulnerable. All she wanted to do was comfort him so she squeezed his hand and then she whispered, "I'm here and you're going to be okay. Now just rest."

Gibbs blinked once, twice and soon he slipped into an exhausted sleep leaving everyone watching him to worry about his recovery.

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_**Author's Note:**_

_**That's it for this chapter.**_

_**Next stop the airport and Abby, Jenny and Fornell's reaction to Gibbs' condition.**_

_**Then Altoub's men arrive at the airport…**_

_**So stay tuned…and Review ASAP… Thanks!**_


	27. Chapter 27

_**Author's Note:**_

_**Thank you for the wonderful reviews…**_

_**Here's the next chapter … Enjoy and Review ASAP…. Thanks!**_

-----------------------------------------------

As Abby and Jenny waited for the plane to come to a stop, paramedics grabbed their bags and the gurney and rushed towards the plane.

"What's going on?" Abby worriedly asked.

"Jethro's not doing too well. They need to get him to the hospital pronto." Fornell calmly stated.

"Oh No!" Abby gasped.

"What?" Jenny growled as she turned on Fornell.

"I just heard the paramedic say it a moment ago." Fornell said in his defense.

-----------------------------------------------

"Agent Gibbs is unconscious. His BP and fever are spiking. I want him off the plane first followed by Officer David. Then the rest of you can disembark." Dr Holmes stated as he wrapped the blanket securely around Gibbs and adjusted his oxygen mask.

Ziva was terrified. _Come on Jethro, we can't have just found each other only for you to give up and possibly die. Please just fight it, just a little longer. Please._

Ducky, who was still sitting next to Gibbs, reached over and clasped his hand over Ziva and Gibbs' joint hands. Ziva looked at him, silent tears streaking her face. Ducky just squeezed her hand and nodded his head in calm support.

Tony stared at Gibbs unable to equate was he saw with what he knew about the man. _Gibbs you can't let this thing beat you. Damn it, do I have to head slap you and order you to 'stay alive'?_

McGee also stared at Gibbs and battled to hold his emotions in check.

"Tony, he's not going to …"

"No, McGee! He is going to be fine!" Tony growled in response as the doors of the plane were opened and the paramedics rushed in. Within 2 minutes Gibbs was strapped to the gurney and being carried out of the plane. Ziva followed behind him on a wheelchair which was carried down the steps to the tarmac.

"Gibbs!" Abby made to rush forward as she saw an unconscious Gibbs being wheeled to the waiting chopper. Jenny had to hold her back and Abby collapsed in her arms sobbing. Gibbs had lost weight. He looked pale and his eyes were sunken and shadowed by dark rings. The bandage at his temple covered the gash but not the purplish discolouration marring his pale face.

Ziva looked at Jenny and Abby as she was rushed to the chopper. Jenny offered her a shaky nod of reassurance as she was lifted into the chopper. As chopper took off the rest of the team stepped off the plane.

"Tony!" Abby gasped as she moved from Jenny's arms into his. She squeezed him tightly causing him to wince as his ribs protested her touch.

"Sorry." Abby apologized before moving into Tim's arms and hugging him tightly.

"Director," Ducky greeted Jenny. "He's unconscious and his fever and BP are too high. But I'm sure that he will get the best care possible at Bethesda."

"And Officer David?" Jenny asked, hiding her fear for Jethro under a mask of professionalism.

"Ziva is doing excellent. She does have a fever thou but it has been steadily dropping." Ducky stated.

"Good. Abby I know this is difficult, but I need you and McGee back at NCIS. Tony I want you checked out by the doctors at Bethesda and it they give you the all clear you can return to NCIS. Ducky I need you to stay with Jethro and Ziva and report any changes to me ASAP. Let's go." Jenny ordered as she slipped her sunglasses on and turned away as a lone tear snaked down her cheek.

--------------------------------------------------

_American Airlines flight number AA456 from New York has arrived on schedule. _

_Passengers are advised to exit the airport terminal through gate no 23._

"Naeem, I have arrived." Haroun informed his boss as he grabbed his luggage from the rotating carousel.

"Yaseen's flight will land at 3pm so check into a hotel until then. Call Farouk and tell him to bring the hardware." Naeem stated.

"Okay. When do we move on the NCIS agents?" Haroun asked.

"We are still confirming which hospital they are at. Once we know I will contact you. Tell Yaseen that we can only afford to give him 24 hours to resolve this, as both of you are needed back here." Naeem stated before hanging up.

_Don't worry. This errand shouldn't take more than an hour once we have their location._

--------------------------------------------------

Somewhere in America, Abba Altoub smoked his pipe as he thought, _Yes, everything is going as planned. Isn't it so ironic that everyone is looking for Al Qaeda cells when they should be looking elsewhere…?_

--------------------------------------------------

At Bethesda hospital, Tony and Ziva waited anxiously for Ducky to return with some news.

Ziva had been admitted and was now settled in a ward on the 3rd floor of the hospital. Tony had been checked out and the doctors had advised him to get some rest and to fill a prescription for painkillers. But Tony wasn't worried about that. He was worried about Gibbs and Ziva. Since arriving in the ward Ziva had remained distant and too quiet.

"Ziva, do you want to talk about it?" Tony prompted. Anything would be better then waiting in silence.

"No." Ziva replied.

"Ziva, you will have to talk about it eventually and if not me then to the NCIS resident shrink." Tony insisted. _She's bottling it all up. I have to make her talk…_

Ziva ignored Tony. But then he sat on the edge of her bed and placed his hand over hers forcing her to look at him.

"Ziva…" Tony whispered so softly and with so much emotion that something just snapped inside Ziva.

"Damn it Tony, don't do this to me." Ziva growled her palms subconsciously rising in front of her as if to ward him away.

"Ziva, it's okay." Tony whispered as he gently took her wrists into his hands.

"No, I have to be strong right now. Jethro needs me and I can't let him down." Ziva insisted as she looked around the room frantically.

"Shhh, Ziva." Tony whispered hiding his surprise at her use of Gibbs' first name.

"_Stop it. Don't whisper like that. You're making me MAD!"_ Ziva groaned as she tried to shake his hold on her wrists.

But Tony just continued to hold onto her as he whispered again, "It's going to be okay."

"_Oh God Tony…. It was horrible … he was in so much pain … screaming … shouting … tears running down his face and …."_ Ziva cried as she grabbed onto Tony's shirt. Tony pulled her close and rested his chin on her head as he closed his eyes and allowed his tears to stain his cheeks.

"…_they almost took his leg… his leg! He was terrified… Tony… he has to … Oh my God … he has to pull through … I … I …"_ Ziva sobbed soaking Tony's shirt.

It was like a dam had broken. All the stress, fear and pain of the last few days came rushing back to Ziva and she cried and cried and cried and even when there were no more tears she still sobbed and Tony just held her, stroking her hair gently while whispering soothingly to her.

That was how Ducky found them a few moments later. Upon hearing the door open, Tony and Ziva turned towards it while still holding onto each other.

Ducky's expression revealed nothing other than exhaustion. He closed the door behind him before moving to the side of the bed and sitting down in a chair next to the bed. Then he removed his spectacles and ran a weary hand over his face. Ziva's palms fisted in Tony's shirt as Tony tensed up.

"_How is he?"_ Ziva whispered her voice hoarse from all the crying.

"_Ducky …?"_ Tony questioned, an unwanted image of Gibbs lying on an autopsy table flashing through his mind. _NO!!!!!_

-------------------------------------------------

_**Author's Note:**_

_**That's it for this chapter.**_

_**Felipe/Yaseen arrives in the next chapter … but will he have one or two agents to murder?**_

_**Stay tuned to find out what happens… And Review soon… Thanks!**_


	28. Chapter 28

_**Author's Note:**_

_**Sorry for the long delay in updating and Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for your continued reviews and support….**_

_**Here's the next chapter… Enjoy and as always review soon… Thanks!**_

--------------------------------------------------

Farouk scanned the hotel lobby before making his way to the elevators on the far right. He carried a black duffle bag in one hand and a briefcase in the other. He waited a few minutes for the elevator doors to open and carry him up to the 4th floor.

Haroun was reclining on the couch watching an Israeli news channel when he heard the knock on door.

"Yes," He called out.

"Brother, it is me." Farouk replied.

Haroun opened the door a moment later and allowed Farouk to enter.

"_Assalam Alaikum_" Haroun greeted.

"_Alaikum salaam_. It is good to see you after all this time."

"Yes, you too. Do you have what we need?"

"Yes." Farouk replied as he opened the bag and revealed an assortment of knives and small caliber pistols. Then he opened the briefcase and handed Haroun an envelope filled with a few $100 bills.

"Good. Now we wait for word from Naeem on the location of the hospital and we wait for Yaseen. We need to take care of these NCIS pests quickly and then return to Los Angeles."

"Yaseen's flight will land in 5 hours. Getting through emigration may take an hour. So we will only be able to proceed in about 6 hours. We may as well get some rest." Farouk suggested and the two men reclined on the double bed.

---------------------------------------------------

Back at NCIS headquarters, McGee was exhausted. Abby looked from him, to the computers running the bank account details and the other computer running the passenger and crew names through Interpol, to the phone that didn't ring.

"McGee, Gibbs is going to be okay, right. He didn't just return to us to die did he?" Abby hiccupped. McGee stood up and pulled Abby into his arms.

"Abby, Gibbs is the strongest man I know. If anyone can pull threw something like this, it's him. We can't give up on him because he would never give up on us." McGee hugged Abby tightly as he tried to hold on to what he had just said.

_Beep… Beep … Beep!_

"We've got a hit!" Abby shouted as she pulled out of McGee's arms and turned back to her computer screen.

A second later the computer beeped again.

"A second hit! We're on a roll now." Abby stated glad to have something useful to focus on.

McGee reached for his phone, intending to call Jenny when his computer beeped, "The bank account reference have come up with a name, _'Shakir Sulaiman'_"

"Director Sheppard,"

"Mam, we've got something for you to see." McGee stated.

"I'm on my way." Jenny replied.

-----------------------------------------------------

Back in the ward at Bethesda, Tony and Ziva held their breath as they waited for Ducky to speak.

"The doctors are running an MRI scan on Jethro's leg. Based on the results, they may choose to do nothing, or they may opt for a second surgery to confirm that the first surgery was done correctly or they could…" Ducky's voice cracked.

"No…" Ziva sobbed.

"They could take his … leg." Tony said his eyes blurring with tears.

"Yes." Ducky sighed.

Tony, Ziva and Ducky sat in silence for the next 20 minutes. Tony's mind was spinning at the possibility that Gibbs could still loose his leg. Ziva was consoling herself that even if he lost his leg, he would still be alive and she would do everything in power to help him heal and cope. Ducky just couldn't imagine a man like Gibbs wanting to continue if he couldn't do the work he loved. As everyone's thoughts started to whorl and contemplate worse scenarios, the door to the ward suddenly opened.

A nurse walked in, pulling an unconscious Leroy Jethro Gibbs into the room. Ziva gasped in a mixture of disbelief and relief as Tony stood up and moved to Gibbs' side. A Dr Jared walked in, behind the bed and turned to address the people starring anxiously at Gibbs.

"What did the MRI reveal?" Ducky asked the most pressing question as a nurse hooked Gibbs' IV line in place before providing him with oxygen through a nasal canula.

"Agent Gibbs is a very lucky man." Dr Jared stated "There is no internal hemorrhaging and the swelling in the surrounding tissue is subsiding."

"_Thank God!"_ Ziva whispered.

"So that means no further surgery?" Tony needed confirmation.

"No. Not at this time." Dr Jared replied.

"Did Jethro regain consciousness?" Ducky asked.

"No, he is unconscious as a result of exhaustion. His head injury may also be playing a role in that. We did a CT scan of his brain and there is no swelling or hemorrhaging there either."

"Shouldn't you try to wake him up? Isn't that standard procedure for concussion patients?" Tony questioned.

"Normally yes, but like I said, Agent Gibbs is physically, mentally and most likely emotionally worn out. As his vital signs have stabilized I want to give him at least another hour or so of rest."

"What about… about his fever?" Ziva asked. She could see Gibbs trembling despite the fact that his face was flushed.

"His fever is unfortunately still very high. We've changed his antibiotics and are giving him a dose of Naproxen every 4 hours. We've also got him on LMWH, low molecular weight heparin to thin his blood in an effort to prevent blood clots from developing." Dr Jared said.

"What is she doing?" Ziva asked as she noticed the nurse wrap what looked like tight bandaged around Gibbs' legs. Then the nurse was placing funny socks over Gibbs' feet. Throughout all of this Gibbs remained still and unresponsive.

"Those are called _sequential compression boots. _They automatically inflate and deflate helping to pump blood from his legs back up to his heart." Dr Jared stated.

"They also prevent blood clots." Ducky said.

"Yes. But they do cause the muscles in the lower limbs to ache. We've scheduled a physiotherapist to come in and massage his lower limbs twice a day to ease the pain. But once he is awake we will have to force him to start moving around. That is the only way to rebuild his muscles and improve his circulation." Dr Jared informed them.

"And when do you expect him to wake up?" Tony asked as he watched the pumps start up and he noticed Gibbs twitch in response.

"Let him rest for the next few hours. He will wake up when he is physically ready to deal with all of this. We will however check on him every 30 minutes and based on his vitals we'll adjust our treatment plan accordingly." Dr Jared stated before leaving the room.

The nurse remained in the room a few minutes longer. She gently lifted Gibb's legs and placed them onto pillows before covering him with a light sheet. Then she checked his vital signs again before leaving the room.

"Ducky, go home and get some rest. I'll call you as soon as there's any change." Tony said.

Ducky looked at Tony, then at Gibbs and Ziva, before nodding his head and standing up.

"I'll call Jenny and Abby. Anthony, you should get them to bring another bed in here so that you can get some rest as well."

"Don't worry, Ducky. I'm so tired right now that the floor looks pretty inviting." Tony chirped as Ducky left the room.

Ziva just stared at Gibbs. She watched his chest rise and fall, rise and fall, rise and fall.

Tony took her by her shoulders and forced her to lie down. He covered her with a blanket and dimmed the lights. Then he sat down in a chair that he placed between the two beds and he looked from Gibbs to Ziva. And Ziva just continued to stare at Gibbs, silent tears running down her face.

_Jethro, you will beat this… _

While Tony watched Ziva watching Gibbs, her eyes started to drift shut. As exhaustion overwhelmed her she murmured, _Jethro … love you … _

And Tony gasped, shocked that he hadn't seen that coming.

_Ziva loves Gibbs and… Gibbs … likes … loves… Ziva. _

_On the plane … they were flushed because … eeewww… _

_DiNozzo, you're a brilliant investigator… just brilliant!_

------------------------------------------------------------

_**Author's Note:**_

_**That's it for this chapter.**_

_**Will Gibbs wake up in the next chapter?**_

_**Will he be okay? **_

_**Will Ziva give him a foot massage?**_

_**Stay tuned to find out… and Review ASAP… Thanks!**_


	29. Chapter 29

_**Author's Note:**_

_**Thank you for all the reviews and PM. **_

_**Sorry about the delay but work is just becoming too hectic at the moment.**_

_**Anyway, here's the next chapter… Enjoy and review soon… Thanks!**_

---------------------------------------------------

Awareness returned slowly as Gibbs slipped in and out of consciousness.

_God, am I dead? _

Pain, incessant pain pulsed through his head and legs.

_Why do my legs feel like they're caught in a vice and what's beating against my feet. Argh! _

_I can't be dead, because if I was I wouldn't be feeling this much pain!_

The rest of his body was lead laden and his chest felt heavy and constricted.

Taking a deep breath required too much effort and opening his eyes seemed like an insurmountable feat.

And then voices filtered through to him drowning out the rhythmic beeping of what could only be hospital monitors.

"It's only been 2 and a half hours."

"I know. But I can't stand to see him like this."

"Ziva, you whispered something as you fell asleep earlier."

"What did I say, Tony?"

"You said, _Jethro…_"

A door opened and Tony stopped speaking.

_What did you say…about me, Ziva? _Gibbs desperately wanted to know.

"Excuse me. I'm Sally, here to do the physio treatment on Agent Gibbs' legs."

"Hello Sally, I'm Tony and this is Ziva."

"Hi. How's he doing?" Sally asked.

"He hasn't woken up yet." Tony said.

_But I have… I think I have…mmm … this pain's really talking to me now. _

_And what does she mean physio on my legs! No one's touching my legs!_

"Will it hurt him?" Ziva asked.

"I'm afraid it probably will. But it is very important to get the circulation going and it may even help to wake him up." Sally stated.

"Ziva, I'm going to get you something to eat and a coffee for Gibbs. If the treatment doesn't wake him up, I'm sure the smell of coffee will." Tony said as he left the room.

_DiNozzo, when I get up I'm going to…_

"Can I watch what you're doing?" Ziva asked.

"Sure. I can even show you how to do it. Someone will have to massage his legs and feet regularly once he gets home."

"That will be me." Ziva replied.

_You? … Yes… No… Shit … _

_Ziva's going to massage my legs… Now!_

_I'm going to focus on the pain. _

_Pain is good. Pain is good. Pain is good._

_Oh who am I kidding, no amount of pain is going to reduce what her touch does to me. _

Gibbs heard a chair being pulled across the floor and the rustling of bed sheets on the bed next to him. Then he felt the funny pulsating things on his feet being removed and his bed sheet being moved up to his thighs and he realized that he was naked under the sheet.

_Great!_

Then two pairs of hands wrapped around his feet. He knew Ziva's hand instantly by the lighter pressure she was exerting.

"Ziva, you will have to press a bit harder. We are going to run our thumbs up and down the centre of his foot while our fingers move in the same direction on the dorsal side of his foot. Here we go." Sally said.

At the first run up his feet, Gibbs jerks and moaned out in pain.

_Damn…what the hell are they doing to me?!_

"Don't stop. We have to keep going so we can draw him into consciousness." Sally instructed as she realized that Ziva was getting ready to run to Gibbs' side.

"Again, harder."

"But."

"Ziva, please do I as I say." Sally ordered and Ziva did, harder and deeper. She felt Gibbs' foot tense and twitch as he jerked and moaned again.

_I'm so sorry, Gibbs, but I'm going to do whatever it takes to get you better._

_I was wrong. This is going to kill me!_ Gibbs mentally lamented as the two women continued torturing him. Then they moved to his ankles and did ankle rolls before proceeding up his calf. Sally worked on his injured leg while Ziva worked on the other. His legs were still wrapped in tight bandaged and he was too weak to pull away from his tormentors.

_Argh! I can't … Take any … More! Stop… Please! Ziva… _It felt like flaming blades slicing up and down his legs tearing his muscles and veins apart.

"Look at his face. I think his almost awake. Speak to him Ziva." Sally ordered.

But Ziva's throat was cogged up with unshed tears and she had to swallow a few times before any sound came out.

"Jethro, _baby_, wake up! I know this hurts but…"

_Ziva… hurts so bad… please stop!_

"But it's really necessary. So please wake up, _Love_."

_Love! Ziva how you … torture me like this … and call me … Love!_

"Baby, can you hear me? _Please_ just open your eyes. _Please_." Ziva sobbed.

_Ziva… don't cry. I'm … argh … I'm going to …aaahhh… open my eyes …mmmm … for you!_

"That's it Agent Gibbs." Sally encouraged as she and Ziva moved their hands to Gibbs' knees and worked circles around his patella bones. A moment later, Sally pressed the buzzer for the nurses' station. Gibbs was almost awake and he was going to need pain meds ASAP.

"Come on, _Jethro_! I know you can do this." Ziva said as she saw his eyelids twitch.

_Oh God, Ziva … your hands … on my thigh! _

_How can you … still make me react … like this when the pain … is this overwhelming? I need to stop … mmm … you before you wake other thing … with your innocent touch…_

"_Ziva …!"_ Gibbs' weak voice filled the room as his eyes opened to thin slits.

"_Jethro!"_ Ziva gasped in relief, her hands clamping higher up his thigh, making him jerk in response.

"Agent Gibbs, just relax, okay." Sally said. "Ziva, we're almost done. Just work your way down his leg, same as me. That's it."

"_Stop… aarrgghh…"_ Gibbs tried to shout but his throat was dry.

"Just a bit more Agent Gibbs. You're doing really great and the nurse will be here in a moment to give you a shot for pain. Now I want you to take a deep breath as I bend your leg at the knee. Ziva once I straighten this leg out, you bend that leg."

"_No…" _Gibbs protested, pain really threatening to rob him of his sanity now.

Sally ignored him and lifted his leg causing him to gasp in agony just as the nurse entered the room.

"He's awake and needs his analgesics now." Sally said and the nurse left to get the required drugs.

"Ziva, it's your turn. That's it." Sally praised.

"Jethro, I'm so sorry." Ziva whispered as Gibbs' face contorted in pain and his breathing turned ragged.

They repeated the movement twice more, before the nurse returned with the pain meds. As Ziva and Sally pulled Gibbs' bed sheet into place and replaced the sequential compression boots on his feet, the nurse administered the dose of morphine via his IV line. Then she checked his vital signs, made a few notations in his file and left the room. Ziva caressed Gibbs' head as they waited for him to feel some relief.

"You did really good Agent Gibbs. I'll be back in 60 minutes to see if you're up to walking." Sally said before leaving the room.

_Walking? Is she out of her mind?_ Gibbs closed his eyes as it took a good few minutes for the pain to reach bearable proportions.

As soon as they were alone Ziva leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on Gibbs' forehead.

He opened his eyes to slits again and whispered, _"You owe me … much more then that …. after what you just put me through."_

Ziva looked down at him, relief and joy overflowing in her heart and tears sparkling in her eyes.

"What can I do to make it up to you?" Ziva whispered, her lips millimeters away from his.

"_Well … you can … start with … this…"_ Gibbs whispered back as he sank his fingers into her hair and pulled her to his waiting lips.

He kissed her gently, tenderly and she reveled in it. He broke the kiss sooner then he would have liked to due to his breathlessness.

"_More…"_ He ordered a few moments later. He wanted to keep tasting her, touching her, feeling her.

"Later…" Ziva chirped as she slipped her hand into his and squeezed it.

"_Now…"_ Gibbs insisted, his hand tugging hers.

"Mmm …okay, but just a quickie … yes…" Ziva sighed as she leaned in towards him.

"_Oh God … I wish."_ Gibbs moaned as he kissed her deeply and passionately.

"Oh God, Ziva give the man some room to breath already." Tony growled from the doorway a moment later.

Ziva pulled away instantly, her cheeks colouring a lovely red. Gibbs tried to glare at Tony but gave up a moment later as his head still hurt.

"That's better. Boss, I got you coffee, just the way you like it. Ziva, get back into bed and eat this." Tony ordered like the headmaster at a school might have.

Ziva obeyed as she realized that all her appetites had been stimulated. She hadn't been able to eat anything while Gibbs had been unconscious but now she was famished. While Ziva munched on her burrito Tony went and looked at Gibbs. He even lifted his right eyelid and examined his eye before nodding and smirking, "I guess she has more talents then either of us was aware of when you hired her."

Gibbs' hands taped the back of his head a second later and Tony's grin spread.

"Welcome back, Boss."

Tony then surprised everyone in the room by leaning forward and giving Gibbs a quick hug. As he tried to pull away Gibbs placed a hand on his back holding him in place.

"_You did … good DiNozzo… Thank you."_

Tony pulled away, stunned by Gibbs' words. Gibbs' eyes revealed his genuine gratitude a moment before drifting close, the morphine in his system lulling him to sleep.

"_I'll always have your six, Boss. Always!"_ Tony murmured as he covered Gibbs securely before turning to Ziva who was smiling.

-----------------------------------------------

"_Assalam Alaikum_" Haroun greeted.

"_Alaikum salaam_. We have their location." Naeem stated.

"Where are they?" Haroun asked as he looked at Farouk who was still lounging on the couch.

"Bethesda Naval Hospital, Ward 4C, Beds 8A and 8B." Naeem replied.

"We will move in the next 4 hours, as soon as Yaseen arrives. We will call you once they have been eliminated." Haroun stated before hanging up.

-----------------------------------------------

_**Author's Note:**_

_**That's it for this chapter.**_

_**The next chapter may reveal something about Felipe/Yaseen's thoughts.**_

_**We also learn about Abby and McGee's hits on the banking accounts and the rest of the terrorist plots.**_

_**And Gibbs and Ziva become closer.**_

_**So stay tuned and review ASAP…. Thanks!**_


	30. Chapter 30

_**Author's Note: **_

_**Thank you for the great reviews. I love them. **_

_**Here's the next Chapter…Enjoy and Review Soon… Thanks! **_

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On the flight from Manaus to Washington DC, Yaseen remained awake. One reason was he remembered what happened on the last flight. And another was that he had a lot to think about.

_Ah, three more hours, before we land in Washington DC. And than another 2, before I kill Ziva and Gibbs. I'm sure Abba has their location by now and someone will be awaiting my arrival at the airport. _

_Insha Allah, I survived that doomed flight and now I will help Abba to set the rest of his plan in motion. And everyone will blame Al Qaeda. That is the absolute best part about this plan. The Americans and the world will never know that the Palestinian Islamic Jihad is behind these attacks. We will eliminate … _

"Ladies and Gentleman, the Captain has turned the seatbelt sign on again. So kindly return to your seats and keep your belts buckled until further notice. A snack will be served as soon as it is safe to do so. Thank you for your co-operation."

-----------------------------------------------------------

At NCIS head quarters, Abby and McGee were filling Jenny in on what they had found.

"Shakir Sulaiman's based in California. He has 6 bank accounts in 4 national banks and he has been making transfers of amounts ranging from $4000 to $8000 every 8 hours. The money is wired through a range of confirming European banks into 4 Palestinian Bank accounts. We have the account numbers but not the account holder's names." McGee stated.

" Palestine? I thought the money was funding Al Qaeda cells. Sent this Intel to Fornell and get an update from him…" Jenny said as Abby interrupted her.

"We have more. From the passenger and crew lists we have been able to confirm that at least 2 to 4 of the new crew members on each flight are from Argentina. On digging deeper, we found that they were actually born in Palestine."

"So this could be linked to a Palestine Militant group. That makes sense if you think about the improved relations between Israel and America during the last 4 months. Abby, find out if there are any major events planned for the next few weeks involving the Israeli and U.S. Governments whether on American soil or anywhere else in the world." Jenny voiced as she prepared to leave the lab.

"Oh, Director, have you heard…" Abby said.

"Jethro woke up and as of half an hour ago, his fever seems to be subsiding. You can go and check on him as soon as this threat is taken care of." Jenny replied.

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Back at Bethesda, Tony teased Ziva while Gibbs slept.

"So Ziva, how long have you and Gibbs been a couple?"

"Tony, we're not a couple." Ziva protested.

"That's not what I saw when I walked in earlier. Hell you guys are well and truly beyond first base. If I hadn't walked in at just that moment who knows what else you two may have been doing …" Tony insisted.

"Tony!" Ziva gasped in exasperation, her cheeks glowing bright pink.

"Okay, okay." Tony grinned. "Ziva, I'm really glad for you two."

Ziva looked at him in surprise before grinning back.

After Tony'd overcome his shock, he was actually able to admit that he was thrilled for Gibbs and Ziva. On the one hand he felt that they were very well matched, both strong, independent and extremely good at what they did. On the other, neither of them displayed emotion, other then anger and rage, on a regular basis and now they would be able to let down their guard and explore a few new emotions. Tony knew that they had been through hell the past couple of days and he also knew that their emotions could just be a response to the trauma they'd experienced. He sincerely hoped that that was not the case, because in his opinion, both of them needed to find love and it they found it with each other, that would be even better.

Tony and Ziva heard a rustling from Gibbs' bed. As they both turned to look at Gibbs, he smiled.

"You still up?" He asked his eyes on Ziva before moving to Tony.

"Yeah, Ziva wanted to keep an eye on you just incase you decided to walk out of here." Tony chirped.

Gibbs snorted in response, before trying to sit up on the bed.

"Hey Boss, take it easy, will you?" Tony admonished as he rushed forward and helped Gibbs to lean back against his numerous pillows.

"DiNozzo, where's my coffee?" Gibbs asked a moment later, his body craving his caffeine fix.

"I was just about to get you cup. I'll be right back and don't you two do anything that the doctors may disapprove of." Tony grinned as he left the room.

"He thinks we're a couple." Ziva said.

"He's right." Gibbs replied.

Ziva raised her eyebrow and looked at Gibbs with uncertainty in her eyes.

"We're back home Gibbs. Things are… different now. We could just put our emotions down to the trauma we've suffered… and leave it behind us."

"Is that what you want to do, Ziva?" Gibbs asked.

"I…"

Ziva didn't know what to say. She wanted Gibbs with a passion she'd never felt for any other man. But what if he didn't…

"_Because, I don't!_ I don't what to leave it behind me. I want to get to know you better. I want to love you, hold you close and make you cry other in need as I make you mine. _Ziva, I want you!"_ Gibbs whispered, his eyes intense, his body responding to his words, his mind playing images of a naked Ziva over and over again.

Ziva shuddered long and hard as desire saturated every inch of her body.

"Oh God, Jethro_, I want you too!"_ She whispered a moment later as she left her bed and came to sit on his.

_"I want you!"_ She whispered again as she leaned in and kissed his hungry lips with fiery passion.

_"Mmmm."_ Gibbs moaned out as their tongues danced and imitated the rhythm that his hips begged for.

_"Ziva… I want to make love to you… Now. Straddle my hips."_ Gibbs growled.

"Jethro, Tony could be back any moment." Ziva gasped, wanting to feel him inside her, yet knowing that the timing was all wrong.

Just as expected the door opened a moment later to reveal Sally the physiotherapist.

She cleared her throat before saying, "Well, you must be feeling much better now. So let's go for that stroll."

Ziva laughed but if sounded more like a growl of frustration.

"We're getting out of here as soon as she shows me how to walk. And then you're coming over to my place and I'm going to make love to you without any further delays or interruptions." Gibbs whispered before kissing her temple and turning to Sally.

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**_Author's Note: _**

_**That's it for this Chapter. **_

_**The next one will contain Gibbs and Ziva… in a bedroom … in a bed … doing … mmm… **_

_**So stay tuned and review ASAP… Thanks!**_


	31. Chapter 31

_**Author's Note:**_

_**Thank you for your wonderful reviews. **__**I loved them.**_

_**Here's the next chapter.**_

_**Warning : Explicit Adult Content.**_

_**Enjoy and review ASAP…. Thanks!**_

-----------------------------------------------------------

Gibbs was determined to get out of the hospital.

Despite a severe case of vertigo upon standing up and a million pins and needles racing up and down his leg, Gibbs insisted that Sally proceed with the exercise routine. Ziva stood to one side encouraging and supporting him as Sally held onto his other side.

That was how Tony found them a few moments later.

"DiNozzo, get the Doc to sign our release papers now." Gibbs panted as he turned to walk the length of the room again.

"Boss, I don't…"  
"Just do it!" Gibbs growled.

His head and leg ached but heated blood flooding his groin in anticipation of what was to come.

"Okay." Tony replied as he left the room.

"Gibbs, maybe we should wait another day." Ziva suggested.

"I can't want." Gibbs replied and Ziva knew exactly what he couldn't wait for.

Her cheeks blossomed as she whispered, "Me too."

"Good." Gibbs grinned as he pushed himself harder.

"That's enough for now. You should move around every 2 hours, increasing the time by 5 minutes every time but not exceeding 30 minutes at a time. When lying down, your leg should be elevated and it would be a good idea to massage his feet and lower legs how I showed you earlier." Sally said looking at Ziva.

Ziva nodded her head as Sally left the room.

Tony returned a few minutes later with the Doctor in tow.

"Agent Gibbs, I can not in good conscious allow you to go home so soon. Your fever is still 100 degrees and it could spike again. Your leg's on the mend but what if you develop a clot, or injure yourself again."

"I'm fine now and I absolve you of any liability. Now sign the release forms. Please." Gibbs insisted.

Tony looked at him sharply.

_Please… Gibbs never says please! _

"Mmm, Boss, why are you two in such a hurry to get out of here?" Tony asked.

"Ouch!" Tony jumped as Gibbs' hand connected with the back of his head.

"What was that for?" Tony complained.

Then he noticed Ziva's blush and he understood why they were in such a hurry.

"Oh!" He smirked and ducked the second hand slap.

"Agent Gibbs…" the doctor tried again.

"I'll take whatever meds you want me to and I'll come back the minute I feel something's wrong." Gibb insisted.

"I'll keep an eye on him and make sure he has his meds on time." Ziva stated, in support.

Gibbs smiled at her, happy to note that she was as eager as him to get out of here.

"Okay. I'll sign you out. But you will come in everyday for a check up for the next week. You miss one appointment and I'll come and pick you up myself." The Doctor warned.

"Deal." Gibbs replied as he shook the Doctor's hand.

Tony watched the exchange with amusement until the Doctor left the room.

Watching Gibbs and Ziva look at him expectantly, he quickly said, "I'll get the car."

As soon as Tony was out the door Gibbs and Ziva turned to each other smiling.

"Soon." Gibbs promised.

"Soon." Ziva smiled as she caressed his cheek.

---------------------------------------------------------------

The drive to Gibbs' house took just over 40 minutes because DiNozzo refused to speed and jar Gibbs and Ziva's injuries. Gibbs and Ziva both dozed off and only awoke when the car came to a standstill in Gibbs' driveway.

Tony helped them into the house and Gibbs confirmed that they would be using the bedrooms on the ground floor. Tony offered to stay, but both Gibbs and Ziva insisted that he go home and get some rest.

Reluctantly Tony agreed. As he stood in the doorway he called back, "Be good kids… Or not!"

---------------------------------------------------------------

"Finally, alone." Gibbs whispered as he took Ziva's hand and limped with the aid of a crutch to the master bedroom.

"Gibbs, are you sure?" Ziva asked as desire pulsed across her skin.

"I want you… now!" Gibbs whispered.

"Me too! But I need to freshen up first." Ziva stated.

"Let's freshen up together." Gibbs suggested following her to the bathroom.

Ziva shuddered in excitement as Gibbs locked the bathroom door behind them.

She turned towards him as he placed his crutch aside. Then he retrieved two wash clothes and a bar of soap.

"Let me help you out of those." Gibbs indicated her scrubs.

Ziva nodded as she faced her back to him and allowed him to undo the bow at her back that held her top in place. As the top loosened, Gibbs' hands slipped around Ziva's hips, moving up along the sides of her waist, caressing the sides of her breasts before reaching her shoulders and pulling the top off. They were facing the mirror and Ziva watched Gibbs looking at her in the mirror. Goosebumps broke out across her skin and her nipples puckered in response to Gibbs' heated gaze.

"_Beautiful."_ He murmured as he kissed the sensitive spot where her neck joined her shoulder. Ziva turned towards him and reached for his top. Gently she eased it up and over his head. She leaned in towards him and placed feather light kisses from his neck to his navel, driving him crazy. Gibbs pulled her up roughly, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her deeply.

Ziva's hands slipped into the waist band of Gibbs' pants and she started pushing his pants down. She kneeled in front of him taking care to slip the pants gently over his injured leg.

Now he stood naked in front of her.

His firm, muscular shoulders.

His tight abs and tapered waist.

His powerful thighs.

And his hardened flesh, standing at attention.

"_You are … so … sexy!."_ Ziva murmured licking her lips. She pulled him towards her and forced him to sit down on the toilet seat. Next she retrieved the face clothe and soap and opened the tap.

"_Ziva… you're over dresser, love."_ Gibbs murmured his hands on her waist tugging her pants down her hips.

Now Ziva was as naked as him and he looked at her.

Her breasts, a handful with rosy, pebbled nipples.

Her slim waist marred by the bandage at her side.

Her strong sexy legs.

And the apex of her thighs shadowed by a dusting of dark curls, hiding her feminine delights from his probing eyes.

Slowly he reached for the cloth in her hand. He dipped it into the water and lathered it with soap. Standing up he brought the warm cloth into contact with her excited skin.

They took a few moments to thoroughly cleanse each other. The movement of the warm soapy clothe built their longing and passion. They took their time exploring, caressing and kissing erogenous spots.

Gibbs drew the warm cloth up Ziva's inner leg.

"Open for me." He whispered.

Ziva's body hummed with need. He had been teasing her for what seemed to be hours now, almost reaching the apex of her thighs before retreating.

"_Jethro…"_ She moaned as the warm clothe finally touched her most intimate flesh.

The cloth was gone a moment later only to be replaced by Gibbs' long, deft fingers.

"_Aaahhhh."_ Ziva moaned, as Gibbs' fingers spread her nether lips and slipped into her throbbing core. She lifted one leg onto the edge of the bath as her hands locked onto his shoulders for balance.

His fingers did amazing things to her, building her tension and forcing her to rock her hips in time to his strokes. Then he pulled her forward onto his lap and his lips latching onto her right nipple. He suckled on her like a man dying of thirst and Ziva cried out as his fingers continued to plough in and out of her. He moved across to her other nipple and gently bit down. The sensation was so unexpected, so intense that Ziva bucked and cried out as wave after wave of ecstasy ripped through her body.

Gibbs continued stroking deep inside her, insisting that she come again.

"_That's it love."_

But Ziva needed more and she didn't want to come alone.

"_Jethro, I want you inside me, now."_

"_Oh God Ziva."_

"_I can't wait, Jethro! Please!"_

"_Okay, Love."_ Gibbs murmured as he reached for a condom from the drawer behind him. He slipped the rubber in place at lighting speed. Ziva helped, impatience making her movements frantic. She shifted taking a hold of Gibbs' hard flesh. While watching his face, she guided his pulsating flesh into her impatient body.

"_Aaaahhhhh!"_ Ziva felt her core close around Gibbs' engorged sex. He was so thick and hard. She wrapped her arms around his neck as she absorbed his growl of delight.

"_Baby, you're so wet and tight. Oh God, I've wanted you for so long!" _

"_Jethro, sit back and let me ride you!" _

"_Ohhh God, Ziva." _

Ziva pulled away and watched Gibbs' face as she slipped back and forth on his length. His eyes were closed, his face held in a grimace of exquisite delight.

She repeated her actions, moving faster and faster. Gibbs' hands kneaded and caressed her butt, rocking her harder and harder against him. Soon they were panting and moaning as pleasure rippled through their bodies.

Gibbs could feel Ziva's insides throb and vibrate as her breathing and gasping became more erratic.

"_That's it, love. Let it come."_

"_Ooohhh Jethro …" _Ziva cooed

"_Yes, Love. I want to feel you explode!"_ Gibbs encouraged her, his own climax racing towards him.

Ziva stiffened a split second later, her core pulsing and throbbing with the force of her orgasm, a cry of ecstasy leaving her throat.

Her spasms set Gibbs off and he ground into her hard and fast as his climax ripped through him.

Holding onto each other, panting, sweaty and utter satisfied, Gibbs pulled back and looked at Ziva.

"You are the most amazing woman I've ever been with."

"Oh Gibbs, I've never felt anything like this ever in my life. You're so … giving… so…"

"Jethro, Ziva, where are you?" Ducky's voice filtered through the house.

Ziva smiled as Gibbs glared at the door.

"Stop smiling. I wasn't done with you yet." As if in response to Gibbs's words, Ziva felt his flesh jump back to attention.

Ziva moaned and moved against him, forcing him to groan in response.

Then they heard Ducky moving away and up the stairway.

"A quickie, yes." Ziva asked increasing the rocking of her hips.

"My thoughts exactly." Gibbs replied as heat and need built up again.

Ziva moved faster and faster, up, down, in, out and Gibbs' hands cradles her hips helping her along. They knew that Ducky would be back any moment and that spurred them on.

"_Gibbs, I'm …"_ Ziva whispered, biting her lower lip.

"_I can feel it. Let it come."_ Gibbs whispered before locking his lips to hers and swallowing her cry of bliss. A second later he groaned out his release.

He just couldn't get enough of her. He had just spilled himself twice in quick succession and he wanted her again.

Ziva felt exactly the same. She loved the way they passed control between them while ensuring that the other reached fulfilment. _She loved…_

"Ahem, Jethro, too much extra curricula activity right now is not a particularly good idea. Ziva, that goes for you too." Ducky's voice sounded louder.

Ziva blushed and Gibbs scowled as Ducky started mentioning all the possible medical complications one might experience from engaging in coitus too soon after suffering severe injuries.

----------------------------------------------------------

_**Author's Note:**_

_**That's it for this chapter.**_

_**Please comment on the love scene. **_

_**I attended a Romance writing course and the lecturer insisted that to write Romance and get it published, I will have to write good love scenes. **_

_**So your feedback in this regard will really be appreciated.**_

_**Also if you have time, read the love scene in 'Underlying Woes' and let me have your thoughts. Thanks.**_

_**In the next chapter, Yaseen arrives and you can imagine how 'happy' he will be when he can't find Gibbs and Ziva.**_

_**So stay tuned and review ASAP.**_


	32. Chapter 32

**_Author's Note: _**

**_Thank you for all the great reviews. I love them. _**

**_Here's the next chapter…. _**

**_Warning : Adult content …. Again! _**

**_Enjoy and review ASAP… Thanks! _**

****

**----------------------------------------------------- **

Ducky smirked while preparing sandwiches in Gibbs' kitchen. He had closed the bedroom door to give Gibbs and Ziva some privacy. He had also laid out clothes, t-shirts and sweat pants, on the bed.

He was thrilled that Gibbs and Ziva had given in to their attraction. They needed to release some of the tension of the last few days. But he was concerned about their health. Gibbs still had a high fever and he needed to rest. Ziva was healing well, but she too had been through so much.

Ducky made a pot of fresh coffee and called out, "Brunch is ready."

"We'll be right out." Gibbs answered.

"Thank you Ducky." Ziva said.

"You okay?" Gibbs asked Ziva as he helped her into an NCIS t-shirt.

"I'm better then okay. And you?" Ziva asked turning in his arms.

"I'm feeling pretty relaxed. Now if you keep looking at me like that we're never going to leave this room." Gibbs growled as he leaned forward.

The kiss started out slow and intimate, a tasting and exploring of lips and tongues. Within seconds it heated up sending pulsating need straight to Gibbs' loins.

_"Gibbs…."_ Ziva murmured as his lips moved down her jaw to her neck.

Gibbs was going mad with need. It was unbelievable. They had just made love twice and here he was rock hard again.

Ziva's desire became a raging living force. Every kiss was like a lightening bolt sending shivers racing through her heated blood.

Gibbs pushed Ziva onto the bed, landing on top of her. His lips returned to hers. Their eyes locked. Gibbs shifted slightly and Ziva's eyes widened before fluttering closed as he slipped inside her.

"Look at me, Ziva!" Gibbs whispered.

She opened her eyes instantly and met Gibbs' smoldering gaze. She wrapped her legs around his hips, her heels pressing against his butt. He moved slowly in and out of her, the fiction of his hips against hers, his chest against hers, his face against hers was delicious in a mind blowing way.

He made sweet, intense love to her as their eyes remained locked. He watched her breathe catch. He enjoyed her gasps and mews as he upped the pace. He felt her heels dig into his butt as she arched her body delicately beneath him. He felt her body spasm as the tension peaked. He swallowed her cry of release as her entire body shuddered and rocked below him, sucking him deeper and harder into her core.

_"Ziva!"_ Gibbs gasped, his body tightening a spilt second before Ziva felt the hot rush of his seed flood her womb.

_Oops! _Ziva thought, _we forgot about protection. _

In the next second all thoughts left her mind as a second orgasm pulsed through her body.

_"God Ziva, you're killing me!" _

_"Mmmm."_ Ziva moaned as she squeezed her pelvic muscles and held onto him.

_"Ziva…."_ Gibbs groaned.

_"Shhh….."_ Ziva cooed as she pulled him close and kissed him deeply.

Caught up in the moment Gibbs carelessly moved, bumping his injured leg against the pedestal.

_"Argh!" _

"Gibbs!" Ziva stopped teasing him, concern replacing desire.

_"Aaahhh. Damn it."_ Gibbs growled as he pulled out of and away from her and grabbed his leg.

"I'll get Ducky."

_"No, wait a second. Hand me some clothes."_ Gibbs gasped. His leg throbbed, but he was sure it would ease up in a moment.

Ziva slipped a t-shirt over his head before helping him into his three quarter track pants. Forcing him to lay down she placed his injured leg onto a pillow.

"Jethro, Ziva?" Ducky called out.

"Ducky, we need you in here." Ziva called out. Ducky was in the room in a second.

"A bit too rigorous, were you Jethro?" Ducky admonished as he sat down on the bed.

"Ducky don't start…" Gibbs groaned. Now that his desire had decipated, the pain became worse.

"I was not going to. Let's take a look at you. Ziva, coffee and sandwiches are on the table. Please go and eat something and bring a plate back here for Jethro."

"Okay." Ziva replied sensing that Ducky wanted a moment alone with Gibbs.

"Say it." Gibbs stated.

"Well. I don't'."

"Oh yes you do. So just say it." Gibbs growled through gritted teeth.

"Jethro, Ziva is a lovely woman and after what you two have been through it is very natural that you would turn to each other."

"But?" Gibbs prompted.

"But you are back to civilization now and I don't want to see either of you get hurt." Ducky said.

"I'm with you on that one Ducky except I think I'm falling in love with her. Before you say anything, just hear me out. _Ouch!"_

"Sorry Jethro. Do continue." Ducky prompted as he checked that all the stitches on Gibbs' leg were still in tact.

"I've had feelings for Ziva for a while now. It really began when she pulled me out of my amnesia after the explosion. But irrespective of what I felt, I wasn't planning on doing anything about it. Jeez, Ducky take it easy, will you?"

"But now, Jethro?" Ducky asked as he wrapped Gibbs' leg in new bandages.

"Now, after what we've been through, I know that Ziva has feelings for me. And we've decided to see where this goes." Gibbs gasped as Ducky taped the bandages down.

"Sorry. Jethro, I'm almost done here. But I must say I'm amazed. In all my years with you I've never known you to reveal so much."

"Duck, this thing, almost losing my leg, almost losing Ziva, it's changed me. I'm not young anymore and I'm tired of being …. alone."

"I understand my friend. Have you told her yet?" Ducky asked.

"No." Gibbs replied.

"Are you planning to?"

"Not yet. This is still so new and I don't want to scare her away. I mean the fact that she feels anything for me is a miracle in itself. I just want to enjoy whatever she wants to give me. I don't want to push my luck." Gibbs stated.

"Okay, but when you're ready I think you'll be pleasantly surprised." Ducky said his as he started taking Gibbs' vital signs.

"I hope so." Gibbs whispered.

"Ahem, so how is he doing?" Ziva asked a few minutes later as she came into the room.

Ducky was frowning and that made Ziva anxious.

"Ducky?" Gibbs questioned, knowing that he wasn't feeling as good as a few moments ago.

"Jethro, your fever's up a notch and your BP's high. Eat something while I give Ziva a once over. Then I'm going to call your Doctor at Bethesda. We may have to take you back to the hospital sooner then you like."

_Great!_ Gibbs growled as exhaustion and more pain started to make itself known.

Ducky examined Ziva quickly while Gibbs watched. Ziva feared that she had pushed Gibbs too far.

_I should have made you wait. _

_I should have stopped you after the first time. But I was greedy and I wanted you so much. _

_Oh God, I won't forgive myself if you have a relapse. _

_Jethro, please just don't have a relapse! _

Ziva refused to look at Gibbs as Ducky completed the exam.

"How is she?" Gibbs asked, puzzled by Ziva's withdrawal.

"Ziva's doing very well. No fever and BP's fine. Your wounds are also healing nicely. Ziva feed Jethro please, while I go and make that phone call." Ducky stated as he left the room.

Ziva took up a sandwich and held it to Gibbs' mouth. She didn't make eye contact with him.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. You heard Ducky, you need to eat." She stated.

"Ziva?"

"Gibbs, just eat. We'll talk later." Ziva said anger at her self coming through in her voice.

_What the hell just happened?!? _Gibbs wondered as he took a bite of the sandwich.

---------------------------------------------------

Yaseen entered the arrivals hall and looked around. Haroun and Farouk Immediately moved forward and made eye contact with him. He nodded his head towards the exit and indicated that they should follow him. Airports have too much security and he didn't want anyone to see them leaving together.

Yaseen walked for about a mile, before getting into Haroun's car.

"Salaam, Yaseen."

"Salaam, Farouk, Haroun. It has been a very long time since we have last been together."

"Yes, my brother. We only have a limited time to take care of your problem. The conference starts in 2 days and Abba Altoub wants everyone to be in position by tomorrow night."

"Where are they, Agent Gibbs and Ziva?" Yaseen asked.

"They're at Bethesda Naval Hospital." Farouk said.

"Not any more." Farouk replied.

"What?" Haroun questioned.

"How do they keep evading me?" Yaseen growled, his anger rising.

_I should have killed them in the Amazon. I should not have waited for infection and fever to kill them. But is was so much fun watching them suffer and seeing Gibbs' blood flow freely when I sliced him. I will find them and I will kill them and it will be today!_

"Calm down Yaseen. My man, Rishad followed them to a house a few blocks away from the hospital" Farouk stated

"Okay. Are they alone?" Haroun asked.

"An elderly doctor is taking care of them. But other wise they are alone."

"Good. We can eliminate them without fear of being caught." Yaseen said.

He was exhausted. He had not slept during the flight due to fear. Fear of another crash.

"Yaseen are you okay?" Farouk asked.

"Fine. Let us get done with this. Has there been any news from Faizel?"

"Yes, the weapons are ready and have been placed in the conference hall. They are disguised as two pillars at the back of the stage. The secondary device is set at foot of the stage." Haroun stated.

"Now all you have to do is program the detonation so the force of the blast will kill everyone on that stage and everyone in the first 6 rows of the room. Abba Altoub has arranged for more explosives to be set at the doors, to trap all the guests and kill them with smoke inhalation."

"Abba is a genius. Death to Israel and long live Palestine!" Yaseen shouted.

"Death to Israel and long live Palestine!" Farouk and Haroun shouted back in response.

-----------------------------------------------------

_**Author's Note:**_

_**That's it for this chapter. **_

_**Yaseen arrives at Gibbs' house in the next chapter. **_

_**Will he succeed in his plan to kill Gibbs and Ziva?**_

_**Stay tuned to find out and review ASAP... Thanks**_


	33. Chapter 33

_**Author's Note:**_

_**I'm Back!!!**_

_**Sorry about the long delay but starting a new job is always hectic.**_

_**Thank you for staying tuned and for all the reviews and private messages.**_

_**I have missed updating my stories as much as you have missed reading them. I hope to update more regularly from now onwards…**_

_**Here's the next chapter…. Enjoy and Review soon… Thanks!**_

------------------------------------------------------

"Fornell." Agent Fornell answered his phone.

"What do you have for me Agent Fornell?" Jenny asked.

"Shakir Sulaiman boarded a flight to New York this morning."

"Why New York?" Jenny asked as the door to her office flew open.

"Because, of the Middle Eastern Peace and Reconciliation conference, being held there this Friday starting at 9am." Abby said.

"Various Middle Eastern, North East African and American delegates will be there the whole day." McGee said

"There is a gala dinner being held on Thursday night at the Tudor Hotel for the delegates." Abby said.

"And the Palestinian Government declined the invitation." McGee finished.

"Fornell."

"I'll get my team to check with UN security and to scan both venues, discretely." Fornell said.

"Abby…"

"I'm working on the guest list and will have it for you in 30 minutes."

"McGee …"

"I've tapped into Sulaiman's phone and will be tracking him and listening in on his conversation until …"

"I get a team in New York to pick him up." Fornell stated before hanging up.

"It's no wonder Gibbs is so impressed by you guys." Jenny smiled. "Keep me informed. Go."

McGee and Abby beamed at the praise and rushed back to the lab to continue their work.

------------------------------------------------

Ziva practically shoved the sandwich down Gibbs' throat.

She didn't look at him or touch him, not even casually.

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong?" Gibbs asked.

He was feeling exhausted and the pain was worse.

"Nothing's wrong. Last bite." Ziva said, forcing the sandwich into Gibbs' mouth.

He glared at her as he chewed the sandwich and swallowed it. When he opened his mouth to speak, she held the cup of coffee to his lips and forced him to swallow or get coffee spilled all over his front.

He grabbed the mug from her, locking his hands over hers.

Her sharp intake of breath told him that she felt the jolt of electricity that raced between them. He pulled the mug to his lips, but instead for drinking his coffee, he intimately kissed each of her fingers that held the cup.

"Jethro, stop!" Ziva moaned as he took her little finger into his mouth and sucked it sending desire straight to her pulsing core.

"What's wrong?" Gibbs asked before removing the mug from her hand and kissing her palm.

"Nothing."

"What's wrong?" Gibbs asked again, kissing her wrist.

"It's nothing. Stop Jethro."

"Tell me." Gibbs insisted, kissing the soft, smooth flesh between her wrist and inner elbow.

"Jethro stop, please."

"Not until you tell me." Gibbs replied kissing her inner elbow.

"Jethro, God. You are driving me crazy." Ziva cried out as he pulled her close and kissed the place where her shoulder met her neck.

He sucked her flesh between his lips and pulled hard on her skin. Then he soothed the spot by running his tongue slowly all around her puckered skin.

"Tell me." He insisted kissing higher up her neck.

Ziva wanted him with a desperation that scared her. She had never felt this way about anyone ever in her life. He consumed her and made her almost forget that she was supposed to be resisting him.

"Stop it!" She groaned pulling away from him and going to stand against the wall angry at her self and her selfish needs.

"What is it? Are you having second thoughts? Do you regret what we did?" Gibbs barked.

He was aroused, hard and aching and he wanted her. But more than that he was in love with her and he didn't think he was ready to be rejected.

"Jethro, No! I don't regret what we did. How could you think that?"

"What the hell do you expect me to think? We made incredible love. We couldn't get enough of each other. Then you walk back in here as cold as ice, refusing to even look at me. Why?" Gibbs shouted.

"Jethro…"

"Why!?!"

"Because I want you too much and that's why you're relapsing. God Jethro, I love you too much to lose you now." Ziva shouted looking away and slamming her hand into the wall.

Gibbs was stunned, in disbelief, yet overjoyed beyond words.

"_You love me, Ziva?"_ He asked quietly, getting to his feet, his heart bursting with happiness.

_Damn! I wasn't supposed to let him know. Not yet!_

"Ziva?" Gibbs asked coming to stand behind her.

She turned towards him, placed her arms around his neck and looked up into his eyes.

"Leroy Jethro Gibbs, I'm in love with you and that's why no more making love until you are 100 percent healed."

"You love me…." Gibbs sighed, pulling her into his embrace.

"I love you." Ziva said her eyes sparkling with tears as her lips met his in the most intimate kiss that had ever shared.

"You love me." Gibbs repeated as he pulled away.

"I love you." Ziva repeated.

"Ziva David, you're an amazing woman and I thank God that you came into my life when you did. And I love you. God I love you so much!" Gibbs whispered.

Ziva was blown away by the look in Gibbs eyes. His heart lay open in those beautiful eyes revealing so much … _love, joy, happiness and satisfaction._

Gibbs stared back at Ziva thrilling in her look of wonder and delight.

"_Gibbs…"_

"I love you!" Gibbs repeated, before capturing her lips.

"Wow! Cool it you two." Tony blocked his eyes as he walked into the room.

Gibbs and Ziva pulled apart, but Gibbs still kept his arms around Ziva.

"Let's go." Ducky ordered stepping into the room.

"Ziva what did you do to Gibbs? I've never seen him smile like that before." Tony grinned as Ziva blushed.

"Where are we going Ducky?' Gibbs asked.

"Back to Bethesda. Your Doctor wants to examine you and change your antibiotics." Ducky said.

A look of worry passed across Ziva's face. Gibbs squeezed her shoulder indicating that she shouldn't worry. She looked up at him, love shining brightly in her eyes. Gibbs' look mirrored hers.

"Can't he just give you the prescription and DiNozzo can pick it up?" Gibbs asked.

"No. If you had been a good boy and taken your meds and _rested_ as per his orders, you wouldn't be going back to the hospital now." Tony chirped wiggling his eyebrows.

He enjoyed the blush that stained both Gibbs and Ziva's cheeks. He was thrilled for them and he had heard Gibbs' declaration of love. This was so unexpected and yet it felt so right. They were so right for each other and Tony was happy for them.

"Jethro, let's go." Ziva said slipping her hand into his.

"_Argh,_ fine but I'm not…"

The front door crashed open and gunfire drowned out Gibbs' next words.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

_**Author's Note:**_

_**That's it for this chapter.**_

_**Yaseen has arrived! **_

_**Will Gibbs and the team survive?**_

_**Stay turned to find out and please review soon… Thanks!**_


	34. Chapter 34

_**Author's Note: **_

_**Thank you for all the great reviews. You guys spoil me and I love it. **_

_**Here's the next chapter and review soon…. Thanks! **_

----------------------------------------------------------

"What the…" Tony gasped diving into the room as he grabbed his Sig.

"Oh Dear." Ducky voiced as he turned to look at the door.

"Jethro, get down. Ducky, stay with him." Ziva ordered moving away from Gibbs to retrieve his Sig from the bedside drawer.

"Ziva, give me my backup." Gibbs ordered pulling free of Ducky's hold.

"No. Ducky, hold him back." Ziva ordered as she and Tony framed the bedroom door.

"That's easier said then done, my dear. Jethro don't make this difficult." Ducky ordered as he firmly held onto Gibbs' arm.

"How many?" Ziva asked.

"One in the front and at least two at the back. Hey, Boss who have you pissed of lately." Tony chirped.

Gibbs just glared at him as voices filtered through the house.

"Arabian?" Tony asked.

"No, Palestinian." Ziva replied crouching down as she took a better look.

"Do you recognize them?" Gibbs asked.

"No."

"Jethro, stay put." Ducky ordered forcing Gibbs down at the side of the bed.

Gibbs' leg was on fire and his heart pounded a mile a minute.

_Why the hell would Palestinians want to attack him in his own home._

He grabbed his cellphone from the bedside and dialed Jenny's number.

"Direct Sheppard." Jenny answered.

"Jen, we need back up at my place now." Gibbs growled.

"What's happening?" Jenny asked as she grabbed her desk phone and dialed the lab.

"A group of Palestinians have decided to use us for target practice." Gibbs said hanging up.

Jenny stared at the phone and swore.

She told McGee to meet her in the parking lot and to get Agent Grisham and his team over to Gibbs' house immediately.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

More gunfire erupted in the living room, as the perps moved further into the house.

"Agent Gibbs, Officer David come out!" One of the men shouted.

"They know who you are?" Ducky observed.

Ziva and Tony exchanged worried glances.

Gibbs stared at Ziva as his heart did a flip flops.

_They're after both of us._

_Why?_

_What the hell is this about?_

"We have to do something. We're sitting pups right now." Ziva said.

"Sitting ducks." Tony corrected.

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs growled.

"Sorry Boss. Ziva I'll take the beard at 10 o'clock. You take shorty at 3 o'clock. Then we'll take hook nose together at 12 noon." Tony said.

He counted down with his fingers as he and Ziva spun out of the room.

Gibbs tensed and Ducky tightened his hol don his shoulder.

Tony and Ziva hit their marks as more gunfire erupted. Before the first two perps hit the ground, Tony and Ziva turned like clockwork and took hook nose out.

The silence that followed was deafening and Gibbs was terrified that Ziva or Tony had been hit.

He shook Ducky's hands off as he got to his feet. Dragging his burning, aching leg behind him he headed for his living room. It was in shambles, cushions destroyed, furniture turned over, and 3 bleeding dead men littering the floor.

"Ziva, Tony!" Gibbs called out.

"Fine." Tony replied.

"I'm good." Ziva replied turning to face Gibbs.

As she did she saw a flash at the front window.

"Jethro!" she shouted lifting her Sig as she threw herself in front of Gibbs just as a shot rang out.

Tony followed her action and fired a round of shots at the window before running towards the window. As he reached it he heard the sound of screeching tires and knew that the bastard had gotten away. He managed to get half the plates before turning back to the room.

Gibbs was winded from having Ziva's weight thrown across him.

As he recovered his breathe, he realized that she wasn't moving. Then he felt the telltale stickiness of warm blood draining out of a warm body.

_NO! _

_This can't be happening! _

_"Ziva?!?"_ Gibbs cried panic racing through his veins.

But she didn't respond.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

**_Author's note: _**

_**That's it for this chapter. Sorry that it's shorter then the others. **_

_**Is Ziva dead!?! **_

_**Stay tuned to find out and review ASAP so that I can update asap… Thanks!**_


	35. Chapter 35

**_Author's Note: _**

**_Thank you for the reviews and about the cliffhangers I'm sorry… Not! _**

**_I know you love suspense as much as I like writing it….. _**

**_Here's the next chapter… Enjoy… and Review soon…. Thanks! _**

---------------------------------------------------------------

_"Ziva!"_ Gibbs gasped pulling out from under her.

"Jethro, calm down and let me see." Ducky said crouching in front of Ziva.

Gibbs' mind was in a whirl. He couldn't seem to calm his erratic heart beat as he looked at Ziva's pale face.

"Boss calm down. Come on!" Tony said.

Gibbs' eyes were glazed. His breath came in short puffs and his body trembled.

"Boss." Tony said wrapping his arms around Gibbs.

The fact that Gibbs didn't shrug him away was telling of just how distraught Gibbs was.

Ziva's face blurred with Kate's and then with Shannon's and finally with Kelly's.

_NO! _

_She can't be dead! _

_YOU can't take her away from me! _

_You took Shannon and… and Kelly … _

_And Kate… _

_But Damn it! You can't have her… _

_She's mine! _

Gibbs mentally raged at his maker.

"Ducky, he's going into shock or something." Tony shouted.

"Lay him down and wrap him in a blanket. Then talk to him, Anthony." Ducky ordered as he examined Ziva.

Tony did as told and started talking.

"Boss, you need to snap out of it! Come on, you're the strongest man I know. I've learnt to be strong from you, so you can't just give up. Ziva wouldn't want you to give up." Tony said.

"Her pulse is steady, Jethro." Ducky said. "She wasn't shot."

But Gibbs didn't hear Tony or Ducky's words. He was lost in an alternate universe, where Shannon, Kelly and Kate circled him. Then they faded into a bright white light.

_You've taken enough from me! _

_And if you take her, you're going to get me too! _

_I'm done with this corpse's existence… _

_I want love … a wife… a child … a family… _

_I want … Ziva! _

"Jethro, did you hear me?" Ducky asked. "Anthony, slap him."

"What! Duck I don't have a death wish." Tony protested.

"Anthony…" Ducky complained.

He leaned over Ziva and slapped Gibbs gently across his face.

Gibbs didn't react in any way. Ducky tried again, harder.

Gibbs felt the sting this time. He also felt Tony's hand on his shoulder offering him support.

"I think his coming around." Tony said.

Gibbs looked up at Tony and noted the concern in his eyes. Tony smiled back at him.

"Boss, you with me?" Tony asked.

Gibbs swallowed a few times, blinking as tears gathered and rolled down the side of his face.

"Boss, it's going to be okay." Tony said squeezing his shoulder, before wiping his tears away.

_Jethro, pull yourself together before you loose all his respect! _

Gibbs admonished himself before turning away. He saw Ziva lying prone next to him. He reached out for her hand fearing that it was already getting cold. When he touched her he was jolted by the warmth he found.

Her t-shirt was hiked up to her waist. Ducky's hand was clamped over a bleeding wound. The slight twitching of her fingers, made Gibbs gasp.

_"Ziva?" _

"Jethro, she was not shot. She just tore her previous injury when she lunged for you. I suspect that she knocked her head as well. She's going to be fine." Ducky said as the sound of sirens filled the air.

Moments later EMT's swarmed into the house, followed by Jenny, McGee and Fornell.

"What the hell happened?" Jenny demanded.

"Boss?" McGee gasped, fearing that Gibbs had been shot.

"I'm okay." Gibbs lied.

"Of course you are." Fornell said taking in Gibbs' exhaustion.

"Ducky?" Jenny asked.

"His infection's worse. We were just about to leave for the hospital when he had unexpected visitors."

"And Ziva?" McGee asked.

"She saved Jethro's life, but inadvertently torn her stitches and bumped her head. We have to get them Bethesda now." Ducky said.

Ziva was still unconscious and that was never a good sign. And Jethro was too quiet and his lack of interference bothered Ducky more then he cared to admit.

"Tony, Fornell, go with them." Jenny ordered. "McGee, get back to the office and pull up everything you can find on traffic surveillance. I want the bastard behind this. Also send a message to the press regarding the untimely deaths of 2 NCIS agents. Get Abby to trace Sulaiman. I want him picked up with immediately. Grisham, process the scene and get Palmer to do the autopsies on these three. Move it." Jenny ordered.

The EMT's moved Gibbs and Ziva onto gurneys once they confirmed that their vitals were stable. As they wheeled them out of the house, Jenny watched Gibbs. His eyes were glued to Ziva's face. A myriad of emotions danced across his face. As they were brought side to side, Gibbs' hand reached out and grasped Ziva's.

Jenny's breath caught at the sudden, intense regret that sliced through her heart.

_He's moved on. _

_I should too! _

_If only it was as easy done as said… _

--------------------------------------------------------

**_Author's Note: _**

**_That's it for this chapter… _**

**_Yaseen makes an appearance in the next and we will have to see if Gibbs and Ziva are going to be okay… _**

**_So stay tuned and review ASAP! Thanks… _**


	36. Chapter 36

_**Author's Note: **_

_**Thank you for sticking with this story and for all the wonderful reviews. **_

_**Here's the next chapter… Enjoy and Review Soon… Thanks! **_

------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Abba, we failed. Farouk, Rashid and Haroun are dead." Yaseen's voice trembled as he spoke.

He was in the car speeding towards the airport.

"Are you hurt Son?"

"No, Abba." Yaseen replied.

"Praise Allah, he has saved you once again. Son, leave Washington immediately. You know what is needed now."

"But Abba, what if Gibbs or Ziva are still alive?"

"It will be too late for them or anyone else to do anything to stop us. Now hurry to New York. I need you to arm the weapons. The dinner at the Tudor hotel must end as we plan or all will be lost."

"Yes, Abba. You are right and I am sorry for the delay in getting to you." Yaseen said.

"Your ticket to New York will be waiting for you at the American Airlines counter. Your flight departs in the next 90 minutes. See you soon, Son."

"Salaam Abba." Yaseen said, cutting the call.

_Once I am done in New York I will come back and make sure that Gibbs and his woman are dead! _Yaseen vowed.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_"Mmmm."_ Ziva moaned as siren's blared in the background.

Her body felt like it was on a rollercoaster ride, rocking and rolling precariously. Her head ached and her side was on fire. She felt her hand being held in a tight grip and wondered what had happened.

_"Ziva!"_ Gibbs' anguish filled voice reached out to her.

Gibbs refused to go in the other ambulance, instead opting to sit in the one with Ziva. He held her hand tightly in his, his lips drizzling tiny kisses along each finger.

Ziva's brow furrowed for a moment before her eyes fluttered open. As her eyes collided with his, she smiled.

The sound of the sirens faded, the rocking of the ambulance didn't bother her. Even the pain coursing through her head and side dulled in intensity as her love for the man in front of her overwhelmed her senses.

_You're safe, my love! _

_That's all that matters right now. _

_"Jethro…"_ She whispered removing her hand from his hold and reaching up to caress his cheek.

Gibbs gasped a shallow breath. Tears filled his eyes as he cupped her hand against his cheek. He turned him face into her hand and kissed her palm reverently.

_I thought I was losing you. _

_God, I love you so much!!! _

_Don't leave me … Ziva! _

_Don't ever put me through this again… _

A sea of emotions broke loose within Gibbs. And he didn't care that Ziva was witnessing it. He wanted her to know. No, he needed her to know how deeply in love with her he was.

_"Shhh, Babe. I'm okay. Shhh."_ Ziva soothed, pulling him down to her.

She placed a gentle kiss on his forehead and held him close as he cried. Her hand moved from his cheek to the back of his head gently caressing, soothing him.

_Shh, my beautiful, strong man… _

_Everything's going to be okay… _

_I'm going to take care of you… _

Ziva let her own tears roll lazily down her cheeks. She knew how precious this moment was. She knew how rare this moment was. She knew that Gibbs was baring his heart and soul and he was doing it for her. And she was not going to embarrass him by saying anything. She was just going to hold him close and return his love.

Long moments later, Gibbs was able to pull himself together.

_"Thank you."_ He whispered to Ziva.

_"You're welcome, my love."_ Ziva replied, wiping the last of the moisture from his cheek.

"We're here Agent Gibbs. We'll take Officer David out first." The EMT said.

Once Ziva was on her way into the ER, Ducky in tow, the EMT turned to Gibbs.

"Let's get you onto the gurney, Agent Gibbs." He said.

"I'll walk." Gibbs insisted.

"Not going to happen, Boss." Tony stated, standing next to a gurney, outside the ambulance.

"DiNozzo…" Gibbs warned.

_"Jethro…"_ Tony replied.

Using Gibbs' first name surprised both him and Gibbs.

"Tony, listen…"

"No! You listen! You have put me through enough these last few days. First the plane crash and getting lost in the Amazon. I thought you were dead! Do you know what that did to me? Than, watching you almost loose your leg, not once but twice. I was ready to cut off my own God damn leg if it could have helped you! And now, almost getting yourself shot by some unknown bastard. No! I've had enough. You will get onto this bloody gurney and you will let _me_ take care of you and you will not move one muscle without my permission! You got it Gunny?"

Tony was breathing harshly. His eyes were filled with moisture and his body trembled with the force of the emotions coursing through him.

"Tony…"

"Boss, just…"

"DiNozzo, come here… and help me out." Gibbs sighed.

"What… Oh… I mean, sure." Tony said, reaching for Gibbs.

He pulled Gibbs' arm around his shoulder, before placing his arm around Gibbs' waist. Once Gibbs was out of the ambulance he turned towards Tony and wrapped his other arm around him, holding him close.

Tony tensed, shocked that Gibbs was … _hugging _… him.

"Boss?"

"Relax, DiNozzo. Can't a _father_ hug his s_on_ after behaving like an indomitable ass?" Gibbs whispered, his arms tightening around Tony as Tony gasped in shock.

They stood like that for a moment which felt as long as a lifetime to Tony.

_Gibbs cares about me as much as or maybe more than I care for him. _

Tony's biggest wish had just come true. Gibbs had referred to him as, _Son, his Son_!

"Okay, I think it's time to get me inside." Gibbs said, sudden weakness robbing him of his balance.

"Okay, easy does it, Boss." Tony said, easing Gibbs onto the gurney with the EMT's help.

As Gibbs was wheeled into the ER, Tony heard one of the EMT's say, "Boy that was intense. Those two are closer then most fathers and sons I know."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Director Sheppard." Jenny answered her phone as she headed into her office.

"How are they? Why didn't anyone tell me? Where are they? I have to see them! I have to see Gibbs! My silver haired fox can't possibly handle more of this!" Abby gasped.

"Abby! Gibbs and Ziva are at Bethesda. Ducky and Tony are with them. They'll call me with an update shortly and I'll call you." Jenny replied impatiently.

"I'm going…"

"No. Abby I need you to find who did this. McGee's scanning the traffic surveillance tapes. Help him. And do you have the guest list for me?" Jenny asked.

"I e-mailed you the list 10 minutes ago. I'll help McGee but then I'm going to see Gibbs." Abby hung up after that.

Her heart was pounding double time and she was terrified that something worse was waiting for them.

_No, thinking that way will just attract more negativity. _

_I need to do a cleansing ritual, for Gibbs and Ziva. _

_No, for the whole team… _

_And I need to cleanse their homes and the … hospital. _

_I have to go to them now! _

Abby rushed into her office and grabbed a box of incense and her book of mantras. As she rushed out of her office she brushed pass McGee.

"Abby, wait…"

"I'll be right back…" she shouted as she slipped into the elevator.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The television set in the coffee shop at the Airport blared :

_Breaking news: Two NCIS special agents have been gunned down. Their identities will remain confidential until family members have been notified. This is just another indication of the growing crimes against our local security forces by extremist terrorist groups. And in other stories… _

Yaseen grinned, as he sipped his coffee.

_I did kill them! _

_I didn't fail! _

_Rashid, Farouk and Haroun's deaths were not in vain. _

_Insha Allah, now no-one and nothing will stand in our way. _

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Felipe!! He tried to kill Gibbs! He's involved! _

Ziva jerked as the nurse injected her with a local anesthetic.

"Relax, honey. The anesthetic will take effect in a moment and you won't feel a thing as I suture this wound." The nurse said.

_"Gibbs… I need to…"_ Ziva mumbled as her world became a pain free, black void.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**_Author's Note: _**

_**That's it for this Chapter… **_

_**Is Gibbs okay? **_

_**Will Abby's cleansing keep the team safe? **_

_**Will the team be able to catch Sulaiman and Yaseen? **_

_**Stay tuned to find out… and review ASAP…. Thanks!**_


	37. Chapter 37

_**Author's Note: **_

_**Thank you for all the reviews and your patience. **_

_**I really appreciated it and I'm truly sorry for the long delay in updating. **_

_**Here's the next chapter. Enjoy and review soon…. Thank you! **_

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gibbs shook with exhaustion, pain and fever. His doctor looked at him, disapproval written across his face.

"Your fever's spiking at 103 degrees." The doctor stated.

"So do something about it." Tony growled.

"How's Ziva?" Gibbs asked.

"She's in surgery to repair the tear in her side." A nurse said.

_"Oh God!"_ Gibbs gasped, fear for Ziva overwhelming him.

"She's going to be okay Boss." Tony said placing a hand on Gibbs' shoulder.

"You can't be in here." A nurse said pulling Tony by the arm a moment late.

Tony jerked out of her hold.

"I'm staying."

The doctor nodded indicating that the nurse leave Tony be.

"Let's have a look at what damage you've done." The doctor said.

Using a pair of blunt tipped scissors, he cut the dressing around Gibbs wounds away.

A putrid smell filled the cubicle as the dressing was removed.

Gibbs knew that it was bad, especially when Tony's faced turned ashen grey. But he didn't care just then. All he cared about was Ziva.

_She wasn't shot so why is she in surgery? _

_Was she shot? _

_Did Ducky lie to me? _

_No! She wasn't shot! _

_She wasn't. She has to pull through! _

_My love has to pull through… _

The flesh around Gibbs' wound was a sick yellow with pus oozing out of miniscule pores. Blood also moved under the swollen skin and instead of bright red, it was a purplish brown.

"Prep an OR, Sasha." The doctor said before turning back to Gibbs.

"Agent Gibbs, we're taking you into surgery to drain the muck that's clogging up this wound." The doctor continued.

Tony swallowed convulsively trying to keep the bile at bay as well as his fear under control.

"We're also starting you on an aggressive course of antibiotics and a blood purifier." The doctor stated as a nurse held onto Gibbs' arm and started an IV line.

The moment the IV was in, Gibbs started feeling drowsy.

He looked at Tony and whispered, _"Ziva."_

"I'll stay with her until you're out." Tony promised as Gibbs' eyes closed.

"How bad is it?" Tony asked the doctor as Gibbs was wheeled to the OR.

"It's bad." The doctor replied leaving Tony to digest this.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back at NCIS head quarters, McGee looked up as Jenny came to stand in front of his desk. She radiated wave after wave of tension.

"Mam, I've traced the vehicle. It is a rental. I've put out a BOLO on it and …." McGee was interrupted as his phone started ringing.

"Agent McGee"

"Okay, approach with caution."

"Ahem, yes."

"We'll be waiting. Thank you"

"Who was that?" Jenny asked.

"That was dispatch clerk of the Local Leo's. They have the vehicle in their sights and they're about to intercept and arrest the driver."

"Good. Let me know when his brought in. I'm going to interrogate him myself." Jenny growled as she stormed off back to her office.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Out on the highway near the airport, 3 police squad cars surrounded the rental vehicle.

"Get out of your vehicle with your hands up in the air."

"What, hey, what is this about?" A man gasped.

"Just to as you're told." Another officer ordered.

As the man stepped out, another officer growled, "On the ground, face down and keep those hands where I can see them."

Within moments the man was arrested, thrown into the back of a squad car and rushed off to NCIS head quarters.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Where are they?" Abby asked racing into the OR waiting room.

"They're in surgery." Tony said.

He paced the room like a caged lion. Neither Fornell nor Ducky could get him to relax.

"Oh no!" Abby moaned collapsing into Ducky's arms.

"There, there Dear. They will pull through this." Ducky said.

Tony took a seat next to Abby and drew her into his arms.

A few moments later Tony's phone rang.

"How are they?" Jenny asked.

"In surgery." Tony replied, standing up and moving to the far end of the waiting room.

"Call as soon as they're out."

"Will do, any news on the bastard?"

"He's being brought in as we speak."

"Good." Tony felt some of the tension leave his shoulders for the first time that day.

"Has Jimmy got anything on the autopsies?" Tony asked.

"Not much other then COD. He needs Abby to run tox screens and DNA analysis. McGee's running their prints through AFIS and Interpol." Jenny replied.

"You want me to come in to interrogate the…"

"No, I want that pleasure all for myself. I want you to stay near Gibbs and Ziva. The news report about their deaths has gone out but I don't want to risk them getting hurt again if someone doesn't believe the news story. Oh, send Abby back to the lab once she's seen Gibbs and Ziva." Jenny stated.

"Alright." Tony replied before hanging up.

Sitting down he took Abby back into his arms. They waited for what seemed to be hours but in reality was only 45 minutes.

"Officer David's colleagues?" a nurse enquired.

"Yes." Ducky replied.

"How is she?" Tony asked.

"She is out of surgery and she is going to be fine. We're moving her to Ward A10. You may see her in a few moments." The nurse smiled.

"Thank you. Ahem, do you have any news on Agent Gibbs?" Ducky asked.

"I'll check on him and get back to you." The nurse said before leaving the room.

Ten minutes later Tony stood next to Ziva's bed. As he took her hand into his, she opened her eyes.

_"Tony?" _

"How're you feeling?" Tony asked.

_"Groggy."_ Ziva whispered her eyes drifting close.

"Sleep, Ziva." Tony said placing her hand back on the bed.

As his fingers slipped through hers she grasped his hand tightly.

"Ziva?"

_"Gibbs, where … is … he?"_ Ziva gasped.

Tony debated whether he should tell her.

_"Don't … lie to… me."_ Ziva warned.

"He's in surgery. He's leg is festering and the doctors want to drain out as much of the infection as they can." Tony said.

Ziva closed her eyes and let silent tears run down the side of her face.

"Ziva, he's going to pull through this." Tony said, trying to convince himself as much as her.

Tony remained at Ziva's side, his hand in hers, until she drifted off to sleep.

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In the OR Dr Morrison looked more closely into the open wounds on Agent Gibbs' leg. Now that most of the pus and infected blood had been drained, he decided to look more closely at the muscle and surrounding fatty tissue. It made no sense to him why the infection was this bad.

"Damn it." Dr Morrison swore.

"I see it." Dr Swan said.

"Tweezers!"

"Be careful, John." Dr Swan warned as a nurse irrigated the area.

"I almost have it."

"How did those Brazilian doctors miss this?" Dr Swan wondered out loud.

"Got it." Dr Morrison sighed as he pulled a rusted, jagged piece of metal out of Gibbs' leg.

"Well done, John. Let's close him up and get those meds and fluids going. I want him in the ICU for the next 24 hours. If he develops any other symptoms notify me immediately." Dr Swan said, leaving the OR.

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_**Author's Note:**_

_**That's if for this chapter.**_

_**Stay tuned for the next…. And Review Soon.**_


	38. Chapter 38

_**Author's Note: **_

_**Thank you for the reviews and Happy New Year! **_

_**Here's the next chapter… Enjoy and review soon. **_

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Tony stayed with Ziva, just as he had promised Gibbs he would. But he was restless. He needed to know if Gibbs was okay and as no one had come to get him yet, he couldn't stop expecting the worst.

"Tony?" Abby whispered as she entered the room.

"Is he out?"

"Yes. He's in the ICU ward and his going to be okay. They found a piece of rusted metal in his leg." Abby sobbed.

Tony took her into his arms and hugged her tightly.

_He is going to be okay. _

_Gibbs is going to be okay. _

"Let's go and see him." Abby whispered.

"You go ahead. I need to tell Ziva and I promised Gibbs that I wouldn't leave her side." Tony said.

"He loves her, doesn't he?" Abby asked, looking down at Ziva.

"Yes, and she loves him too. You should have seen them together just before all hell broke loose. He was smiling and laughing. And in the ambulance, he was terrified that he was going to loose her." Tony whispered, tears gathering in his eyes.

"Oh Tony, I'm so glad for them. Gibbs has been alone for too long and so has Ziva. I just know they'll be happy together." Abby whispered.

_"Gibbs…."_ Ziva moaned a moment later.

"Ziva, shhh. Gibbs is going to be okay." Tony whispered his hand on her forehead.

_"Mmm, take me to him."_ Ziva said as she opened her eyes.

"He's in the ICU ward…"Abby said.

_"Please…. I need to see him."_ Ziva whispered.

"I'll see what I can do." Tony said leaving the room.

"Is he really okay?" Ziva asked as Abby took her hand and squeezed it.

"Yes, he is. They found and removed the metal that was embedded in his calf muscle. So now all he needs is rest and … love and he will be fine. I know that you will give him both." Abby said, surprising Ziva by her open acceptance of her.

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The Local Leo's delivered the perp to the NCIS team within 45 minutes.

He was Caucasian, 44, bold and plump. Jenny and McGee observed him through the viewing glass. He sat with his hands clasped in prayer and sweat rolling down his face.

"It's not him." Jenny growled.

"He is Patrick Hayman and he just arrived in Washington 2 hours ago. It's just his luck that he rented the vehicle we were tracking." McGee sighed.

"Get the surveillance tapes…"

"They're being uploaded right now. I've also sent an Agent to the rental dealership to get a detailed description of the man that returned the car." McGee said. "4 flights departed for New York and the Passenger lists are being sent to me as well."

"Good." Jenny said as her phone rang.

"Agent Balboa."

"Mam, we have Sulaiman." Agent Balboa said.

"Are you sure it's him?" Jenny asked.

"Yes. He was shot and is currently being transported to secure facility."

"Damn it. Did he say anything?" Jenny demanded.

"No…. _Shit!_ He's flat lining. I'll call you back." Balboa said a moment before the line went dead.

"McGee, check with Agent Sikes if the hotel and conference centre have been swept for explosives." Jenny ordered.

"I have and so far they found 3 unarmed crystal trigger devices in the hotel dinning hall." McGee replied.

"There must be more. Tell them to find it." Jenny ordered.

"Will do. Have you heard anything about Gibbs and Ziva?" McGee asked.

Yes, he was focused on his work. But every now and then images of Gibbs and Ziva hurt and bleeding would flash through his mind. He cared about them and he need to know if they were okay.

"Both are out of surgery. Ziva's in a ward and Jethro's in the ICU. I'm going to see them now." Jenny said.

"Okay." McGee said. He wanted to go and see them. But he knew that he had to stay at the office and resolve all the pending issues.

_I'll go and see them soon. _

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Yaseen was about to board his flight when his phone rang.

"Hello."

"Yaseen! Abba has been arrested." Naeem whispered.

"Ya Allah!" Yaseen gasped.

"He was shot and bleeding when they took him." Naeem said

"No!" Yaseen shouted.

_Abba it is over! _

_They have you and you could already be dead! _

_There is no reason to wait now! _

"Yaseen, the FBI pigs have uncovered our plan. They are at the hotel and the conference centre. What should we do?"

"Kill them!"

"Kill them, Ya Allah. Yaseen you must thing about this carefully."

"I have. Kill them! Gibbs' team must have uncovered our plans. Gibbs and Ziva are dead, but I will finish the rest of their team. All of them must die today! I will meet you in paradise my brother!" Yaseen said.

"Guda Hafiz, Yaseen. Allah rehem kare." Naeem bid his comrade farewell.

_Guda Hafiz, Naeem. _

Yaseen disembarked from the plane and headed back for the city centre.

I will follow each on, Anthony, McGeek, Dr Ducky and I will kill them swiftly.

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_**Author's Note: **_

_**That's it for this chapter. **_

_**The next seeing Gibbs waking and McGee heading back to the hospital… while Yaseen tails him… **_

_**So stay tuned and Review ASAP…. Thank you.**_


	39. Chapter 39

_**Author's note: **_

_**Thank you for all the reviews and private messages and I am sorry for the long delay in updating. **_

_**Here's the next chapter enjoy! And Review soon…. Thanks! **_

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ziva, Tony and Abby stood around Gibbs' bed watching him. The sound of the heart monitor beeping steadily reassured Tony like nothing else could. He remembered Gibbs' hug and the sharing of feelings.

_Boss, we've just found each other, so don't go and do something stupid like relapse on me again. Okay? _

Abby's eyes were on Gibbs' elevated leg, wrapped in a caste.

_I need to take a picture if this and once the caste is off, I'll take a picture of the scar and they will go up on my wall and remind me everyday of just how much I love you… _

_It is because only you could go through so much and pull through it. _

_You will pull through this, right Gibbs? ... Right? … Right! _

Ziva's eyes scanned across Gibbs' body before coming to rest on his face.

_My beautiful, wonderful man… _

"His colour looks better." Tony murmured.

"And he's not on a respirator which is a very, very good thing." Abby whispered.

Ziva heard them but she did not respond. She leaned out of her wheel chair and took Gibbs' hand into hers. She caressed each finger lightly and willed him to squeeze her hand. When he did not she leaned further and placed a light kiss in his palm.

Tony and Abby moved a few steps back to give her a measure of privacy.

_Leroy Jethro Gibbs, don't make me wait too long… _

_I need to look into those smoldering blue eyes and I need to loose myself them… _

_I need to feel your strong arms around me… _

_I need to hold you close and love you… _

_Oh, God love you till the end of time… _

_So don't make me… us wait too long… _

A nurse entered the room and approached the bed.

"He is doing very well but he won't be up for another hour or two. I suggest we get you back to your room Ms and the minute his awake I'll come and get you." She said.

"I'll take her." Abby offered.

"Thank you." The nurse replied before checking Gibbs' vital signs.

Ziva did not want to leave.

What she was feeling was something so foreign to her that she realized she did need time to process it all before Gibbs woke up. She loved him of that there was no doubt. And he loved her too. She knew that. But she needed to understand the limits of this relationship. Where exactly did their feeling leave them and what would happen in the next week, month, year. Would their feelings still be this strong? This intense? This all consuming?

Tony looked at Gibbs as he exited his room.

_Okay Boss, Be stubborn and make us wait! _

_But hear me when I say, I'm only giving you an hour and then I'm coming back here and you better be awake … You got it? _

_Good, see you in an hour. _

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Ducky met Jenny in the ICU waiting room.

She debated whether to go and see Jethro or whether to speak to Ducky first. In the end, she decided that speaking to Ducky and getting Gibbs' prognosis would save her from worrying. In addition, when she had gone to Gibbs' room earlier, it was to find Ziva holding his hand and kissing his palm. That was more that she was ready to see right now.

"Director?" Ducky asked noting Jenny's pre-occupation.

"How is he?" Jenny asked masking her features.

"Jethro is doing extremely well. His fever is already down by a degree and he is responding to the combination of anti-inflammatorys and fever meds." Ducky replied.

"Good. Is he awake?" She asked, knowing that not asking would reveal that she knew more than she was letting on.

"Not yet. But sleep is the best thing for him right now." Ducky said as Jenny phone rang.

"Director Sheppard."

Ducky listened to the one sided conversation with growing alarm.

When Jenny hung up, she said, "A device was detonated at the Tudor hotel dinning room. Four agents are dead and another nine are injured. 4 perps have been arrested."

"Oh dear." Ducky exclaimed as Jenny's phone rang again.

"Director Sheppard." Jenny answered as Tony entered the waiting room.

"Good work McGee. You can head over to the hospital now. I know you're as anxious to see them as I am." Jenny said before hanging up.

"What happened?" Tony asked.

"We apprehended the wrong man earlier today. Then Balboa called to say that they had Sulaiman but he was dead within minutes of the call. A few minutes ago a device was set off killing a few agents and wounding a few others." Jenny said in frustration.

"Shit! What did McGee have to say?"

"McGee's got Agent Grisham's team scanning through the airport surveillance tapes and he was able to pick up two distinct prints from the rental car. He is running them through Interpol, AFIS and every other agency's database that he can." Jenny replied.

The waiting room door flew open to reveal Abby in the doorway.

"What's wrong?" Tony asked fearing that something had happened to Ziva.

"Relax, Tony. Ziva says she's remembered something and she wants to tell you." Abby said.

Tony, Jenny and Ducky followed Abby back to Ziva's room. Ziva was sitting up in bed pushing her food around on its plate.

"Ziva." Jenny greeted a moment before hugging her.

_What Jethro and I had is over. I cannot hold it against Ziva if she has developed feeling for him and he for her. _

"You're looking well my dear. No one would even guess what you've been through if they had to see you now." Ducky chirped.

Ziva smiled at Ducky before turning to Tony.

"The man that shot at us from the window..." Ziva started.

"We didn't catch him. McGee is scanning all the flights that departed the airport in the last 2 to 3 hours to see if we can trace him." Jenny said.

"We have security watching over you and Gibbs so you don't have to worry on that score." Tony said.

"And we issued a news report stating that you and Gibbs have been killed in the shootout, so the bastard won't be able to trace you to this hospital." Abby said.

"The man, who shot at us from the window, was … Felipe." Ziva said.

"Felipe?" Tony asked confused.

"Felipe from the plan crash… He was the guy that was pushing for Gibbs' leg to be …." Ziva struggled to say the next word.

"Amputated! He is the bastard that sliced into Gibbs' leg nicking a vein. Gibbs could have bled to death!" Tony growled as Felipe's face became crystal clear to him.

"I'll get the Brazilian Military to send us a picture of him. They will have one because they scanned all the passengers before booking them onto various flights out of Brazil." Jenny said punching a few numbers on her cell phone. 

"But why would he want to hurt Gibbs or you?" Ducky asked.

"He was in on hi-jacking and he is part of the plot to kill all those delegates in New York." Tony said.

"Wasn't he Argentinean or something?" Abby asked.

"Now that I think about it, he could have been Palestinian." Ziva said.

"I'll get Grisham to look for the connection." Tony said pulling his phone out.

Just then, a nurse walked into the room. She stared at Jenny and Tony as they spoke on their phones and then she looked at Abby in her black dress with her huge boots and pigtails. She shook her head in disapproval and then turned to Ducky.

"Dr Mallard, Ms David needs her rest and she is not likely to get any with all this noise. Could you kindly ask your _friends_ to leave the room?" The nurse said turning her back on said friends and proceeding to empty a syringe into Ziva's IV line.

"No, I want them to stay and what did you just give me?" Ziva demanded.

"Your antibiotic and no your friends will have to leave. At least those two! They're not allowed to be on their phones while in your room." The nurse insisted.

Jenny glared at the nurse but left the room. Tony followed her.

"Ducky, please go and check on Gibbs. It's been almost an hour and he should be awake by now shouldn't he?" Ziva asked.

Ducky nodded and said that he would check and be right back.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

McGee drove faster then normal, his attention squarely on getting to the hospital quickly, checking on Gibbs and Ziva and then getting back to the office.

_Why is it that I am the one who needs to keep working while the rest of them get to check in on Gibbs and Ziva? _

_McGee run a trace… McGee put a bolo out… McGee run these prints… _

_McGee check in with … McGee… McGee… McGee… _

_Ah, stop it McGee! _

_We all have jobs to do and yours is to do all you can to find the perps and keep your team safe. _

_Abby's is to fuss over everyone… _

_Tony's is to stay close to Gibbs and Ziva and keep them safe… _

_Jenny's is to issue orders …. _

_And Ducky's is to monitor their medical situations… _

_The most important thing is that they are alive and out of danger and I will get to see them soon. _

In his haste, he didn't notice the black sedan tailing him.

"Agent McGeek, where are you going in such a hurry?" Yaseen questioned.

He was deadly calm now. He knew how he was going to get rid of Gibbs' team. He unzipped his jacket and looked down to his chest.

_Yes, they will die together. But, I need to get them all in one small confined space to make it happen. Abba I will do this work and join you shortly,_ Yaseen vowed.

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Gibbs awoke with a start. It took a good few minutes for him to realize that he was not dead. The pain radiating up his leg convinced him that being dead could not hurt this much. He sensed someone walking around him, pulling his blankets to rights and adjusting his IV.

"How is he doing?" Ducky's voice reached his ears.

"He's almost awake and he is stable. I was just about to prepare his next dose of meds." A female voice said.

Gibbs must have made a sound, because Ducky was by his side within a moment.

"Jethro, are you awake?" Ducky asked.

Gibbs felt Ducky's hand on his wrist and its warmth and familiarity was very welcome.

_"Duck…" _

The nurse held a straw to Gibbs' lips and instructed him to sip. The cool water was pure bliss as it trickled into his mouth and down his throat.

Then he remembered Ziva, and how much pain she had been in the last time he had seen her. He gasped, spattering water and coughing violently.

"Calm down Jethro." Ducky said, lifting his head and rubbing his back.

The nurse grabbed a towel and wiped the water from his lips and chest. As the coughing subsided, Ducky forced Gibbs back down onto the bed.

Gibbs pushed against him and gasped, _"Ziva?"_

"Agent Gibbs, please lie back. I'm giving you your next dose of meds and you'll be asleep shortly." The nurse said as she emptied a syringe into his IV line.

Gibbs ignored her and gasped more urgently, _"Ziva?" _

"She is fine Jethro. She is awake, eating, talking and she is anxious to see you." Ducky said.

_"You sure?"_ Gibbs gasped a deep breath.

"Of course I'm sure. Now relax and go back to sleep." Ducky ordered.

_"Take me to her…"_ Gibbs whispered.

"Absolutely not!" The nurse warned.

"Jethro, there is no way I can just take you out of the ICU ward…."

_"Please…"_ Gibbs whispered.

The door opened at that moment to reveal Abby, pushing Ziva in a wheelchair towards Gibbs' bed. Ziva looked at him and he looked back at her. Tears rolled down both their faces as smiles twitched their lips.

_"Ziva…"_ Gibbs grinned, the sight of her awake and alert making his heart sing with joy.

"Jethro…" Ziva smiled her heart doing flip-flops in her chest.

He looked so much more like himself. Yes, she could see pain and exhaustion but the sickly pallor was gone as was the flush of fever. Her love was going to be okay.

_"You … okay … love?"_ He whispered.

His voice, she realized, was like music to her ears. She would never tire of hearing it and she would never tire of hearing him call her, _love_.

"Yes… are you okay?" She whispered.

_"I … am … now…."_ Gibbs replied his hand outstretched to her.

Ziva grasped his hand and leaned forward to kiss his fingers. He smiled, intoxicated.

_"I … love … you..."_ he whispered groggily, the meds taking effect.

The funny thing was that as his vision turned hazy, it created a halo around Ziva's head… She was his sweet, sensual angel ….

"Oh God Jethro, I love you too…." Ziva gasped standing up and kissing him lightly on his lips. He sighed into her kiss but did not return it. When she pulled back, she saw how unfocused his eyes were and how adorable he looked with a drug induced, lopsided grin on his lips.

As his eyes drifted close, the meds robbing him of consciousness, Gibbs whispered, _"Marry … me… Ziva…" _

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**_Author's Note: _**

_**That is it for this chapter. **_

_**The next sees Yaseen arriving at the hospital … **_

_**Will the team survive what Yaseen has planned for them …? **_

_**Moreover, what will Ziva's answer be…? **_

_**Stay tuned to find out and Review ASAP…. Thanks!**_


	40. Chapter 40

**_Author's Note: _**

**_Hello All my avid readers. _**

**_This is just a short note to say that I am extremely sorry for the extended delay in updating my stories..._**

_**It is not that I am struck or that I have writer's block. It is just that my personal life has changed drastically over the last few weeks. First my dad fell and broke his hip. He is recovering now and I'm taking care of him. And then last week I was given the opportunity to adopt a baby boy so now I have become a mommy for the second time... and my boy keeps me very, very busy...**_

_**But to make up for the delay, below please find a small taste of what's to come in this story :**_

* * *

****

**_Survival _**

Abby gasped a second before shrieking, "He asked you to marry him… YES. YES… YES!!!"

"Shh, Abby." Ducky grinned from ear to ear.

Ziva stared down at Gibbs.

_Did he really just ask me to marry him?  
No, it's the meds and everything we've been through… _

_Sure we love each other… But MARRIAGE! _

_I need him to be fully conscious and off all drugs so that I can be sure that this is really what he wants…… _

_What I really want… _

Abby hugged Ziva tightly and congratulated her.

"Abby, wait… Abby, Gibbs didn't know …" Ziva tried to calm Abby down.

Just then Tony and Jenny walked into the room.

"What's wrong?" Tony asked, rushing forward.

Abby threw herself into Tony's arms.

"Abby…" Ziva tried to stop her by no one and nothing could have stopped Abby when she was this excited.

"Gibb asked Ziva to marry him! Gibbs asked Ziva to marry him!"

"What?" Tony asked before a smile broke across his face and he returned Abby's hug.

Jenny took a deep breathe, pasted a smile on her face and hugged Ziva gently.

"Congratulations Ziva." Jenny said. "Gibbs and you are truly lucky to have found each other."

Ziva pulled away and shouted, "Wait! Will all of you please calm down!"

"Ziva, What's wrong?" Ducky asked.

"Gibbs was disorientated and drugged. He probably doesn't know what he was saying. Yes, that's it. He doesn't know what he was saying and I can't hold him to this. Neither can any of you. None of you will mention this to him. Promise me!" Ziva insisted.

"But Ziva…" Abby tried to speak.

"Really Ziva, Jethro…. " Ducky interrupted.

"Promise me!" Ziva shouted, her face flush with emotion.

"Okay." Jenny replied. "Okay. But if he remembers and asks us, we are not going to lie to him." Jenny replied. Tony, Ducky and Abby stared at her.

She mouthed, "Trust me!" A second later everyone nodded slowly to Ziva.

"Thank you." Ziva whispered, before turning her wheel chair towards the door.


	41. Chapter 41

_**Author's Note:**_

_**Thank you for the well wishes and reviews. I really appreciate them. **_

_**Here is the next chapter…. Enjoy and review soon… Thanks! **_

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"Bethesda Hospital? Who are you visiting at the hospital, Agent McGeek?" Yaseen pondered as he parked his car and followed McGee into the hospital.

McGee was on his cell phone as Yaseen stood behind him waiting for the elevator.

"Gibbs is awake now." McGee grinned as the elevator dinged.

_Gibbs! _

_Alive! _

_No… this is not possible! _

_They tricked me. Me! _

_They will pay for this deception with their lives. First Gibbs must die. _

Yaseen vows, anger turning his face into a molten mask of fury.

He followed McGee into the elevator and took note of the floor on which McGee stepped out. He carried on up to the next floor and then used the stairway to get back to the ICU floor. Walking past the ICU waiting room, he saw McGee with the doctor, Ducky and an attractive woman whom McGee addressed as Abby.

"Gibbs is still in the ICU. He asked Ziva to marry him." Yaseen heard Abby say.

_So Ziva is also alive. _

_Ya Allah, now they will all die together. _

Yaseen moved further down the corridor intent on finding a disguise before heading to Gibbs' room.

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Back in Ziva's room, Tony tried to understand her refusal to acknowledge Gibbs' proposal.

"Do you love him?" Tony asked.

Ziva looked up at him and said, "You know that I love him."

"So why are you acting this way?" Tony asked.

"Because he was drugged, Tony. He didn't know what he was saying."

"He seemed to know exactly what he was saying. He asked if you were okay. He called you his _'love'_ and then he said _'Marry me'_. So why do you doubt that it was a genuine proposal."

"Tony, please. I need time to think about this. Besides, it is pointless to discuss this now. We have to wait and see if he remembers when he wakes up." Ziva insisted.

"And if he was fully conscious and asked you to marry him, what would your answer be?" Tony prompted.

"Tony, please. I cannot answer that. We've been through a lot these last few days and Gibbs almost died. That experience can make a person take decisions, that they would not normally take, and that they may regret in the future. We need to recover and get out of here. We need to spend more time together and make sure that we really do like …"

Tony interrupted, "Like?"

"Okay, love each other and that it isn't just a reaction to the stress and trauma we've been through. Then we can talk about marriage." Ziva said.

"Ziva I think you're wrong. Gibbs doesn't say things he doesn't mean and he would not have proposed to you unless he was totally in love with you. You'll see when he wakes up. He'll tell you himself. Then you'll have to answer his question. I hope that your answer will be 'yes' because you two deserve to be happy, together." Tony stated passionately.

Ziva stared at Tony, surprised by the depth of his emotions and grateful that he was rooting for them.

_I hope you're right Tony. _

_I hope you're right._ Ziva prayed.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

In Gibbs room, Jenny smiled sadly down at her former partner and lover.

_Jethro, who would have believed we would end up here. _

_So close and yet worlds apart. _

_I should have told you… told you that you're the only man I've ever loved. The only man I still … love... _

_But it's too late. _

_You've moved on and I'm glad for you. _

_I guess I need to move on too. _

_It is going to be difficult if not impossible to find another man as intense and powerful as you. But I'll have to try. _

_I will always love you Jethro… Always… _

Gibb stirred, sensing someone next to him.

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McGee made his way to Gibbs' room. Stepping inside he found Jenny standing next to Gibbs' bed, her hand hastily leaving Gibbs'.

"Sorry, Mam. I'll come back in a moment." McGee said stepping out and turning away intending to return to the waiting room.

He heard the sound of a weapon discharging a split second before he felt his left shoulder rip apart in intense pain. The impact of the shot threw him backwards into Gibbs' room. Jenny gasped, regretting that her Sig Sauer wasn't within reach. She leaned across Gibbs and pressed the buzzer for the nurse's station.

The sound of the second gunshot followed by Jenny's gasp of pain, brought Gibbs abruptly awake. He watched as Jenny flew backwards, blood coating the side of her head. She hit the floor hard and then she didn't move.

_Jenny?!?! _

_What the hell's going on? _

Gibbs' sluggish brain couldn't make sense of anything. Then he heard a male voice cry out in pain. Turning towards the sound, he saw McGee, cradling his bleeding shoulder as he was hurled to his feet, a rough hand wrapped around his neck. Then Gibbs' eyes landed on the owner of the rough hand.

_"Felipe!"_ Gibbs spat the name out.

He tried to move, but the meds he was on, made him lethargic. He couldn't get his body to co-operate with what his training said he should be doing.

_DiNozzo, where are you? _

_God Damn it, I don't even have a weapon!_ Gibbs swore.

"_Asalaam muale kum_, Agent Gibbs. My name is not _Felipe_ but _Yaseen_. _Insha Allah_, you and your pathetic team members will die at my hand today." Yaseen grinned like a maniac as he approached Gibbs.

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_Author's Note: _

_That is it for this Chapter. _

_The next sees Yaseen proceeding with his attack on Gibbs and the team. _

_Is Jenny dead? _

_Will McGee pull through? _

_Stay tuned to find out and Review ASAP… Thanks._


	42. Chapter 42

**_Author's Note:_**

****

**_Thank you for the great reviews and messages. You people really spoil me and I love it. _**

****

**_I have decided to focus on completing Survival and Enemy within over the next few days / weeks. I am sad that these stories are coming to an end, but I need to make room to start new stories and it is quiet taxing to be writing 6 stories at the same time. _**

****

**_Survival has approximately three or four more chapters to go…. _**

****

**_So enjoy and review soon … _**

**_Also, let me know what you loved, liked, did not like or hated about this story … _**

**_This information helps as I plan my future stories. _**

**_Thanks. _**

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yaseen shoved McGee against the wall as a nurse arrived at Gibbs' room door.

"What the…" The nurse did not say another word as a shot rang out.

She cried out throwing herself to the floor as the bullet hit the wall behind her.

_"Help!"_ She screeched crawling away from the doorway.

Gibbs watched Yaseen. He was frantic, alternating between English and Arabic and waving his gun in the air. Gibbs looked at Jenny. She wasn't moving and a pool of blood surrounded her head.

_Jenny… Don't you go and die on me … _

_Do you hear me? _

Next, he looked at McGee. Tim's shoulder bled profusely but he was conscious. He made eye contact with Gibbs as he inches his good hand down to his ankle in an attempt to get his backup weapon.

Gibbs saw Yaseen about to turn towards McGee and decided that he had to distract him.

_"Why are … you doing …. this?"_ Gibbs demanded.

He hated that his voice was so weak.

As expected, Yaseen turned to face him as he raved.

"You should have died on the plane. I should have forced Eduardo to take your leg." Yaseen growled, his hand slamming down on Gibbs' injured leg. Normally Gibbs would never reveal that he was in any pain. But, with all that he had just been through it was impossible to hold back the gasp of agony as excruciating pain sizzled through his leg.

"Yes, that is what I wish to hear. Howl in pain Agent Gibbs as this is only the beginning." Yaseen laughed.

McGee swore under his breathe as his hand closed over his weapon. Unfortunately, Yaseen turned at that moment and saw him. He raced to McGee's side as McGee prepared to raise and fire his weapon. Yaseen worked quickly, bringing the barrel of his weapon down against McGee's bleeding shoulder, causing him to lose his hold on his back up as he cried out in agony.

"Bastard, get away from him!" Gibbs shouted as Yaseen placed the barrel of his weapon against McGee's temple.

McGee held his breathe regretting that it had to end this way…. regretting that he had failed Gibbs…

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ducky and Abby rushed out of the waiting room when they heard the commotion in the corridor.

"What's happening?" Abby asked.

"I am not entirely sure my dear. But it seems to be originating from that end of the corridor." Ducky said.

"Gibbs is at that end. _Oh God_!" Abby gasped as Hospital security raced past them.

One of the security team said, "Shots fired in ward A1. One male and one female lay bleeding on the floor from what the nurse could see."

_"NO!"_ Abby tried to race towards Gibbs' room but Ducky held her back.

"Ducky, McGee was … going to … see Gibbs! Oh God, you don't think … McGee was … Oh No…. McGee was shot." Abby sobbed.

"Calm down Abigail. We need to call Anthony." Ducky said as he tried to keep his fear at bay.

_One female? _

_Could it be the Director? _

_Oh dear… _

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

"DiNozzo." Tony answered his phone.

_"What?"_ Tony gasped getting to his feet and heading for the door.

"Tony, what's wrong." Ziva asked. The look on Tony's face made her panic.

"Ducky, I'll be right there." Tony said cutting the call.

"Tony, tell me what's wrong." Ziva demanded, as she threw her blankets aside and got into a sitting position despite the pain.

"Ziva, stay put."

"Tony, please tell me!" Ziva shouted.

_Gibbs… Something's happened to Gibbs. _

_He's relapsed… _

_No… _

"Damnit Tony just tell me!" Ziva growled.

"Shots were fired in the ICU ward, in front of Ward A1. The nurse says that a young man and a woman were bleeding and that a crazy man waved a gun in the air as he spoke in a foreign language." Tony said.

He moved towards the bed as Ziva pushed herself into a standing position.

"_Felipe!_ He's here. We have to get to Gibbs now!" Ziva gasped.

"Ziva, you're in…"

"I'm coming. Hand me your back up." Ziva insisted.

Tony saw the light of determination in her eyes as she straightened her back and extended her hand. He knew that nothing would hold her back and he also knew that it was time to finish this.

_Felipe, it's time to meet your maker! _

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_"Yaseen, you want me…"_ Gibbs grimaced, pain spiraling up his leg like a raging torrent.

_"let him… go!" _

_"or are you …. Such a coward …" _

_"to attack an…" _

"Enough!" Yaseen growled.

He removed his gun from McGee's temple, placed his hand on McGee's forehead and slammed his head backwards against the walk. McGee groaned as he slumped to his side, unconscious. Blood stained the wall where his head had been.

"He will die soon enough." Yaseen sneered.

_Shit… His going to kill McGee after he's done with me! _

_I have to stop him…_ Gibbs swore.

_"You won't get…"_ Gibbs had to swallow against the pain.

_"away with… this." _

_"My team… will take you … down…"_ Gibbs gasped. The pain racing up his leg threatened to rob him of consciousness.

"Your team … yes." Yaseen grinned, stood up and walked towards Gibbs.

Gibbs braced himself for another jolt of pain. But it didn't come.

"Agent Gibbs, I have a special surprise for your team members." Yaseen smirked.

Leaning forward he unzipped his jacket to reveal a vest, loaded with explosives strapped to his chest. The timer showed that the bond would go off in 10 minutes.

"It's time to invite the rest of your team to this final celebration." Yaseen laughed at the anger in Gibbs' face.

_"No!"_ Gibbs shouted the magnitude of Yaseen's twisted plan astounding him.

"Yes. They will die and you will watch them die as your own life slips away.

_"Why??"_ Gibbs growled.

"Because, you took my dream and ruined it. And they took my Abba, preventing my dream from being resurrected. My only reason to live is gone. And if I can't live, neither should you or your murderous people." Yaseen said.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tony and Ziva stood outside the room and listened to Yaseen. Ziva peered into the ward and saw McGee and Jenny unconscious and bleeding on the ground. She saw Gibbs, lying prone, blood staining the sheet covering his leg.

"We have to go in now." Ziva insisted, fear making her voice sharp.

"No, we wait for backup." Tony insisted.

"Tony! Look." Ziva gasped as she caught sight of the bomb.

"Shit!" Tony swore.

"We have to move now. The timer's already running on that explosive." Ziva swore as Yaseen moved towards Gibbs' IV line and stopped the flow of meds.

"You will not need fluids or pain relievers. Not today. Today you will feel all the pain in the world." Yaseen said.

Reaching across Gibbs, he pressed the nursing station buzzer.

A nurse arrived outside the door and nervously asked, "Yes?"

"Send Dr Ducky, Ms Abby, Agent DiNozzo and Ms Ziva into the room within 2 minutes." Yaseen barked.

"No!" Gibbs insisted.

_I have to do something! _

But with the meds stopped, the pain turned torturous, robbing Gibbs of breathe.

"We need more time. We have to find them." The nurse replied.

"Don't lie. They are all standing just outside the door. Agent Gibbs' faithful hounds, for every 5 seconds you are late, your precious Agent Gibbs will experience the following." Yaseen grabbed Gibbs' left hand and snapped his baby finger.

Gibbs groaned in pain as Yaseen dropped his hand onto the bed sheet, his baby finger, sticking out at an awkward angle, his whole body trembling in distress.

Abby gasped in horror.

Tony swore, lifting his weapon.

Ducky prayed for a way out of this mess.

Ziva charged through the door, gun drawn and aimed at Yaseen's head.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

**_Author's Note: _**

****

**_That is it for this chapter. _**

**_Let me have your thoughts and stay tuned for the next action packed Chapter…. Thanks!_**


	43. Chapter 43

_**Author's Note: **_

_**Thank you for the wonderful reviews. I loved them.**_

_**Here is the next chapter. Enjoy and review soon. Thanks...**_

* * *

Ziva didn't say a word. She entered the room, crouched low, aimed her weapon at Yaseen's head and fired. An expression of disbelief flashed across Yaseen's face as he fell backwards knocking into a pedestal covered with medical equipment.

Gibbs gasped for breathe, his body trembling in pain. He looked at Yaseen to make sure that he wasn't moving before looking up at Ziva. As angry as he was with her for storming into the room, he was glad that she was such an excellent shot. He looked up at her, various emotions flirting across his face.

_There is so much … I want to tell you … to share with you…_

_I wonder if I'll ever get the chance…_

_"Get … everyone … out of … here…"_ He ordered as he remembered that the threat was far from over.

Ziva nodded. She was torn between rushing to Gibbs' side and disarming the explosive. In the end, she kneeled next to Yaseen and started examining the bomb.

Nurses and doctors rushed into the room on Tony's command. Ducky and Abby also rushed in. Abby sobbed next to McGee's prone body as Ducky did a visual exam of Jenny's condition.

_"Get … them … out…"_ Gibbs gasped again.

His vision was blurring and his leg and hand were on fire. But worst was the possibility that he could still loose his team if that bloody explosive went off in the next few minutes. He was also starting to get annoyed because Ziva and Tony were ignoring him.

"Tony, give me your knife." Ziva said.

"Ziva, you sure you can …" Tony asked.

_"DiNozzo… Get her… out…"_ Gibbs growled.

A doctor and nurse rushed to Gibbs' side. They started his IV going again and prepared to wheel him out of the room.

_"No… I'm … staying!"_ Gibbs insisted.

"Take him out and keep everyone away." Ziva ordered.

_"Ziva!"_ Gibbs swore as the doctor wheeled him out of the room.

"Ziva…" Tony tried to speak but Ziva cut him off.

"Tony you should go too." Ziva said after looking around the room and seeing that they were alone.

"No." Tony replied.

"Tony this isn't…"

"Ziva, can you just focus on disarming this damn thing. And 'NO' I am not leaving, because it will be easier and preferable to die in the explosion with you then to have to face Gibbs and explain why I let you die." Tony growled.

Ziva would have smiled if the situation had been different. As it was, she focused on the various green, blue, red and white wires attached to the C4 strapped to Yaseen's chest. Her side ached and she felt perspiration gather at her temples.

She had been terrified as she and Tony had rushed to Gibbs' room. She was sure that Felipe/Yaseen would have no reason to wait to kill Gibbs and she half expected to find Gibbs dead. When they arrived at the door and heard the extent of Yaseen's plan, she was oddly relieved. But she realized how Yaseen's plan would be tearing Gibbs up inside. Then the bastard broke Gibbs' finger. Ziva didn't think after that. All she knew was she had to save Gibbs and she had to save the team for Gibbs. Because, she loved him. She loved him to distraction and with a desperation that made everything else in life meaningless. And she was not going to loose him, not to the likes of a bastard like Felipe.

"Ziva, you want to hurry it up?" Tony asked.

"Tony, don't distract me!" Ziva said as she delicately lifted a bundle of white wires. The timer indicated that they had 5 minutes left. Ziva said a silent prayer as she slipped the knife under the bundle of white wires and prepared to slice through them.

"Ziva, you sure that's the right one?" Tony whispered at that moment.

Ziva's hand shook and she glared at Tony, before slicing through the wires. Tony held his breathe as he and Ziva stared at the timer.

4:35

4:30

4:25

4:20

"Mm, Ziva it's going faster." Tony stated the obvious.

Ziva swore in Hebrew, as she quickly scanned the wires again.

"Ziva, maybe we should…" Tony decided that now would be a good time to get out of there.

"Tony, just give me a moment." Ziva insisted.

"Okay, but just a moment." Tony replied wondering if they were going to get out of this alive.

Ziva traced the wires again and asked Tony to help turn Yaseen onto his side. There she found the green, red and blue wires joined and attached to a second timer. Swearing some more she severed the single connection to the second timer. The second timer stopped and a moment later, the first timer stopped too on 1:45.

Tony continued staring at the timer to make sure that it didn't move again. Ziva however collapsed to her side, exhausted now that the adrenaline rush was fading.

"Easy, Ziva." Tony said, taking her into his arms and carrying her out of the room.

"The explosive's been disarmed. No one but the bomb squad is to enter that room." Tony ordered the nurses at the end of the corridor.

"Agent Gibbs?" Ziva asked.

She needed to see him. She needed to see that he was okay.

"He and the rest of your agents have been moved to the west wing of the hospital. I'll take you to them after Dr Shore looks you over." A nurse said as she positioned a wheelchair in front of Tony.

Tony lowered Ziva into the wheelchair as the nurse led them to the west wing.

* * *

"Anthony, Ziva! We were extremely worried." Ducky exclaimed, relieved to see them, unhurt. Ziva had an IV line attached and Ducky raised a questioning brow to Tony.

"Ziva's doctor advised her that she would not be allowed to go anywhere if she didn't let him hook up the IV line and administer pain med and antibiotics." Tony replied.

"Gibbs?" Ziva asked, ignoring Ducky's look and Tony tone.

Ducky sighed debating on how much to say.

"Ducky?" Tony asked, concern filtering through in his voice.

"Jethro had to be sedated I'm afraid. He became quiet hysterical, insisting that he had to save Ziva. He tried to get out of bed. The doctors decided that sedation would work better then restraints and I agreed."

"Figures. He wouldn't be concerned about my life." Tony chirped in to lighten the mood. It didn't work.

"His leg and hand?" Ziva asked remembering the blood on the bed sheet.

"They have re-stitched his leg and have reset his finger. It was only dislocated and not broken as initially thought."

Ziva remained quiet as she digested all that Ducky had said.

_I'm sorry my love…_

_I'll make it up to you… I promise…_

"So he should be okay once he wakes up and sees that Ziva is okay. And then, he is going to kill her and me for disobeying him." Tony stated. "How's McGee and the Director?" he continued.

"McGee has a severe concussion. The bullet wound is a through and through and the doctors are repairing the damage in theatre now. The director took a shot to the side of her head. A skull fracture, has been ruled out. But there was extensive bleeding and cranial swelling has also been noted. The doctors cannot be sure of her prognosis until she wakes up. As I've told you in the past, head injuries can be tricky." Ducky concluded.

"Take me to Gibbs, please." Ziva said a moment later and Tony followed Ducky as he wheeled Ziva to Gibbs' room.

Gibbs lay prone, his face tense, despite the sedation. His hand was wrapped in a bandage to hold his finger in place. His leg rested on a pillow, under the bed sheet. He had an oxygen mask across his face and that some how scared Ziva.

"It's okay, Ziva. The oxygen is a means of helping him stay calm." Ducky quickly said, nodding the distress on Ziva's face.

"Can I have a moment alone with him?" She whispered.

"Of course." Ducky said as he and Tony retreated from the room.

_Oh Jethro…_

Ziva sighed, taking his hand into hers. She kissed his palm reverently as she let silent tears flow down her face.

* * *

Tony paced the waiting room as Abby stared blankly at the wall. Ducky looked between the two young people, feeling their pain.

Thirty minutes later, a nurse entered the waiting room, a gentle smile on her face.

"Agent McGee is out of surgery and in ward C2. You may follow me if you would like to see him."

"How is he?" Abby asked falling in step behind the nurse.

"He is doing very well. The shoulder wound, although it is a through and through, it didn't damage any major muscles or blood vessels. It should heal very well and it will not affect the use of his arm. His head injury however will need to be monitored for the next few days as he could experience dizzy spells, nausea and vomiting due to the concussion."

"Oh. That's means that he will need to be taken care of when he is discharged." Abby smiled for the first time since all of this had happened. "I'll move in with him for a few days and do just that."

Tony and Ducky grinned both imagining McGee's expression when he realized that Nurse Abby would be taking care of him.

"Mmm, do you have any news on Director Shepherd?" Ducky asked.

"She is still unconscious and in the high care ward. I'll check with her doctor if any visitors are allowed." The nurse said stopping a ward C2.

"Please do not stay too long as he does need his rest." The nurse said before moving away.

"Probie." Tony smiled on seeing McGee reclining on his bed, his arm in a sling and a bandage wrapped around his head. He looked like a lost schoolboy. But there was also something else, some deeper emotion that worried Tony.

"Oh Tim, I was so worried. How are you feeling? Does it hurt a lot? Can I get you anything?" Abby questioned as she hugged him tightly.

"Abigail, I think he would like to have the ability to breathe again. You are smothering him." Ducky said as he pulled Abby off McGee.

"How is Gibbs?" McGee asked. His head ached, his vision swam and his stomach rolled.

"He is fine. Everyone is okay. You did well, Tim." Tony said.

"No. I failed him… I … I let the bastard catch me going for my back up … and almost got all of us killed." McGee growled.

"No Timothy." Ducky said.

"McGee, how can you think that?" Abby gasped.

"Tim, listen to me. You did the best you could in a very dangerous situation. You were almost killed while trying to save Gibbs' life. Hell man that counts for a lot in my book and Gibbs will see it the same way. Now, I want you to calm down and rest. Abby, you make sure that he does while Ducky and I check on the Director." Tony said leaving the room.

"Anthony is right, Timothy. Listen to him." Ducky said as he followed Tony out of the room.

* * *

Back in Gibbs' room, Ziva continued whispering endearments to Gibbs as she covered his palm with kisses. At one stage, he sighed deeply in his sedated sleep and Ziva thought that the tension seemed to ease from his face.

Slowly she got out of her wheelchair and climbed on to the bed. Being careful, she lay down next to him and wrapped her arms around his torso. He sighed again when her head rested on his shoulder.

"I love you, Jethro…" Ziva whispered, kissed his jaw and promptly fell asleep.

**_

* * *

_**

Author's Note:

_**That is it for this chapter.**_

_**Please note the next could be the last one in the story….**_

_**So please review and provide feedback as soon as possible. Thank you…**_


	44. Chapter 44

_**Author's Note:**_

_**Thank you for the reviews and private messages. I love hearing for you….**_

_**Warning: This chapter contains Explicit Adult Material…**_

_**Enjoy and Review soon…**_

* * *

Ducky and Tony stood around Jenny's bed. She looked pale, her cheeks hollow, and her eyes sunken.

"Oh Jenny." Ducky couldn't hold the gasp back.

Tony also felt intense anger and wished that Yaseen were still alive so that he could kill him again.

Ducky slipped his hand into Jenny's and squeezed.

"Jenny, did I ever tell you about the time I worked in Peru and had to deal with a head injury similar to yours?" Ducky started one of his famous stories as he settled into a chair next to Jenny's bed.

Tony smiled and prayed that Ducky's words would reach Jenny. He took her other hand in his and spent the next hours sitting and then dozing in a chair on the other side of her bed.

* * *

Nearly 8 hours later, Ziva awoke with a start. A single light illuminated the room in muted tones. Ziva wasn't sure what woke her. That was until she felt and heard Gibbs moan. Ziva looked at his face and found that the oxygen mask had been removed. Gibbs' eyes were squeezed shut, and his face was a mask of terror. He chose that moment to twist sharply, almost pushing Ziva over the side of the bed.

"Jethro, wake up. It's just a bad dream." Ziva whispered her palms on his face, her lips close to his.

"Ziva, get out… Ziva …ZIVA!! No!!" Gibbs shouted as he came violently awake.

"Shhh, Gibbs. I'm right here. I'm safe. Look at me. Jethro, look at me." Ziva ordered loudly.

Gibbs stilled for a moment. He stared at her, his eyes taking long seconds to focus. Lifting his aching hand, he brought it to her face and touched her to make sure that she was real. Tears gathered in his eyes as she smiled and kissed his jaw.

"I'm okay. We disarmed the explosive and everyone is safe." Ziva said.

"If you ever … disobey me again…" Gibbs left his threat unfinished.

Ziva nodded and pulled herself up so that her face was above his.

_I'm sorry my love…_

_I'll make it up to you…_

_Starting now…_

Staring into his eyes, Ziva ran the tip of her tongue across his lips.

Gibbs tried to stay angry. He needed her to understand what he had gone through thinking that she was about to die. He needed her to realize how much she meant to him. He needed her to feel the pain he had felt. Oh God, he needed her and he needed what she was doing to him right now. It helped to ease the fear and tension and replace it with a fire and strain of a different kind. But he was not going to let her off the hook so easily. He held still wanting to see what Ziva would do and how far she would go.

Ziva hesitated when Gibbs didn't response. She then decided to be ruthless as she nipped his lower lip with her teeth. Next, she placed wet, open-mouthed kisses along his jaw and neck. When he still didn't react she pulled his hospital gown aside and bit his shoulder leaving a distinct love bite against his skin. Her hands were somehow below his gown and running over his nipples. His sharp intake of breathe brought a smile to Ziva's lips and she went lower and licked his nipple through his gown.

Gibbs would have had to be dead not to response to that sensual tongue stroking his erect nipple. Ziva felt him move against her, his good hand reaching for and closing over her heavy breast. She moaned leaving him in no doubt of her rising arousal. He kneaded her breasts and tweaked her nipples causing her to rock gently against his hip. Her hospital gown and his had somehow worked themselves up to their waists. So as she rubbed her bare, heated core against him he felt her slick moisture and it was almost more then he could bear.

He didn't know if he would be able to bring what they had started to completion but he sure as hell was going to try. And Ziva's hand that now encircled his engorged sex reassured him that at least that part of his anatomy would be a willing and able participant.

_"Oh God Jethro, I want you!"_ Ziva panted as Gibbs fingers found and massaged the pulsating nub between her legs.

_"Get on top of me now."_ Gibbs growled, his need growing with Ziva's every move.

Ziva did not need to be told twice. She moved over him and in one smooth motion slipped her hot core over his rock hard erection. Both moaned out in ecstasy. Ziva wiggled from side to side and took him even deeper and Gibbs had the sense of coming home, yes, coming home after a very, very long time.

Ziva moved on him gently, desperately trying to prevent jarring his leg. Gibbs allowed her to control the pace and rhythm, in out, up down, side to side, deep and then shallow and then deep again.

It was amazing watching her facial expressions, the way she moaned and meowed, the way her eyes flew open and then squeezed tightly shut again, the way she bit her lower lip in concentration as she got the rhythm and depth of penetration just right.

Ziva watched Gibbs too, the way he arched his hips to meet her rocking pelvis, the way his hands held on to her hips pulling her closer, deeper, the way he groaned as she moved fast and shallow and then deep and hard. It felt so right having him inside her, his touch surrounding her, his voice engulfing her. This was what she always wanted but never believed she could have. Now she had him and she was amazed that it was even better then what she could have ever hoped for.

Gibbs didn't think he could hold back much longer. Ziva loved him just too damn well and all he wanted to do was explode deep within her tight, pulsating body. Then he felt as much as heard her tense as her nether walls squeezed tightly around him. She went dead silent before gasping out his name as her entire body convulsed with the force of her orgasm. The pulsating of her body all around him robbed Gibbs of control and he groaned out, bucking his hips, ignoring the pain in his leg, as he spilled himself deep, deep inside her.

They remained intimately joined as they worked on normalizing their breathing. Ziva enjoyed the residual twitches as Gibbs' erection melted within her. He held her close, caressing her back, kissing her brow.

_"I love you, Ziva."_ Gibbs stated, as he lifted her face and kissed her passionately.

_"I love you too, Jethro."_ Ziva whispered back long moments later.

Lying side by side, they allowed sleep to envelope them, their bodies satiated and their minds at ease.

* * *

_**Author's Note:**_

_**Okay, 1 more chapter to go or maybe two…**_

_**Let me have your thoughts on this one…. Thanks!**_


	45. Chapter 45

_**Author's Note:**_

_**This is it! The final chapter of this story!**_

_**I hope that you have enjoyed it as much as I have enjoyed writing it…**_

_**And your feedback on the story as a whole as well as on this final chapter will be highly appreciated and I hope that you will continue reading my work and commenting so that I can continue improving in my writing.**_

_**BTW: I will work on completing 'Enemy Within' next…**_

_**Warning: This chapter contains Explicit Adult content...**_

_**By the way, my dad is doing very well now and I would like to thank you for all your well wishes regarding his health. My baby is doing very well too, growing and revealing his beautiful personality to us.**_

* * *

The next morning Gibbs insisted on seeing McGee and Jenny. He had to know that his team was fine now that his main fear that of losing Ziva, had been overcome.

Ziva arranged a wheelchair and helped him into it before leading him to McGee's room.

McGee sat up straight in bed when Gibbs approached. Gibbs looked him over from head to foot without saying a word. Abby sat on the bed nest to McGee, her hand in his.

"Mmm, Boss. I'm … I would like to say how … mmm sorry … sorry I am about what happened. I almost got everyone killed by being too slow. I … mmm…." McGee stammered to halt as Gibbs just stared at him.

"You done?" Gibbs asked a moment later.

"Mmm, yes." McGee hung his head.

Ziva and Abby waited to see what Gibbs would say.

"Thank you, McGee, for saving everyone's life and I'm sorry that you were hurt in the process." Gibbs quietly said as McGee's head shot up in surprise.

Abby smiled and Ziva gently squeezed Gibbs shoulder.

"Boss, no… I failed you… I…" McGee was stunned.

Gibbs had said 'Thank you' and 'Sorry', words that didn't ever feature in his vocabulary.

"McGee, you did your best and that's all I've ever asked for. Now I want you to focus on getting better. You have two weeks sick leave and I'm sure Abby's going to take good care of you during that time." Gibbs said.

"Abby?" McGee asked.

"Yeah, she's moving in with you." Gibbs smiled.

"Gibbs!" Abby and Ziva said simultaneously.

"You told him…" Abby complained to Ziva.

"I'm sorry. I did tell him it was a surprise." Ziva said in her defense.

_"Oops."_ Gibbs smiled.

"Oh any way McGee, don't worry about a thing. My coffin and clothes are being moved to your place as we speak. And oh yes, I had to have your writing desk and book shelve moved out to my place to make room for my coffin. And…." Abby rambles on as McGee's face contorted in shock.

_Oh no!_

_My writing desk … gone!_

_A coffin in my living room!_

_Oh, Abby!_

Gibbs and Ziva smiled as they left McGee in Abby's capable hands.

Entering Jenny's room, Gibbs was surprised to find Tony fast asleep in a chair next to Jenny's bed. Tony's hand was outstretched and wrapped around one of Jenny's hands. Gibbs looked at Ziva and she looked back at him indicating that she didn't know anything. Just than a sound from the bed, drew their attention.

Jenny frowned as she softly moaned a second time. Ziva pushed Gibbs' wheelchair close to the bed on the opposite side from Tony. Gibbs reached out and placed a warm hand on Jenny's forehead as he whispered, "Jen, can you hear me?"

_"Mmmmm."_ Jenny squeezed her eyes and moved her hand bringing Tony quickly awake.

"Jenny?" Tony gasped, standing up and looking down at her.

He blushed when found is hand covering Gibbs', that was on Jenny's forehead.

"Sorry, Boss." He mumbled trying to pull away.

Gibbs stopped him by grabbing his hand and placing it directly on Jenny's forehead. Ziva smiled at the surprised look on Tony's face.

"I'll get her doctor." Ziva said, leaving the room.

"How long?" Gibbs asked.

"A few months. It's one sided, my side." Tony replied.

"You planning on changing that?" Gibbs questioned.

"She's out of my league." Tony replied.

"I don't think so." Gibbs smiled just as Jenny opened her eyes.

_"Tony?"_ Jenny whispered.

Her vision was a bit hazy, but Tony looked like an angel hovering above her, protecting her.

"Hello Direc… Jenny." Tony smiled relief evident on his face.

Gibbs moved his wheelchair back to give them a moment.

_"What hap… aawwee?"_ Jenny moaned as the pounding in her head intensified.

"Shhh, everything's going to be okay. You have a head injury, but now that you're awake everything's going to be fine." Tony said, leaning forward and placing a chaste kiss on her forehead.

Jenny frowned at Tony for a moment before her eyes drifted shut.

"DiNozzo, life's too short not to take a chance. Tell her." Gibbs said before leaving the room.

* * *

Four days later, Jenny was declared fit enough to leave the hospital. The doctor however warned that she should not be on her own for at least a week and that at the first sign of disorientation, fever, intense headache or persistent nausea and vomiting, she was to be brought back to the hospital.

Gibbs ordered Tony to stay with Jenny to keep an eye on her. Jenny didn't protest, but Tony did.

"Boss, I can't move in with her." Tony complained to Gibbs in his room as Ziva helped Jenny get ready to leave in her room.

"Tony she can't be left a lone. Ducky would have offered, that is if he wasn't needed back in autopsy to handle the numerous pending cases. And I don't trust anyone else to do this, nor do I think Jenny would be comfortable with anyone else invading her privacy."

"But Boss, this is going to make things so awkward." Tony moaned.

"It could also simplify things, if you just tell her." Gibbs stated.

"Since when did you take up match-making as a profession?" Tony questioned.

Gibbs just stared at him. But it wasn't the usual Gibbs stare.

Jenny and Ziva chose that moment to enter Gibbs' room.

"I'm ready, Tony. Thank you for doing this. I wouldn't have been ease with anyone else from the department." Jenny said.

She felt it, this invisible shift in the air, this subtle change in Tony. It was in his eyes, when he looked at her. She refused to place too much store in it, but as she was ill, nursing a migraine from hell and as she did desperately want someone to lean on, she realized that she didn't want that person to be anyone other then Tony. What surprised her was that she actually preferred Tony to Gibbs.

When had this happened? And where will it lead? Jenny wondered.

"Boss, Ducky will be by in an hour or so to pick you and Ziva up." Tony said as he moved to the door and relieved Ziva of Jenny's wheelchair.

"Do you have all your meds?" Tony asked.

"Yes, I think so." Jenny said, suddenly shy.

"Take care, Jenny. We'll be by to see you in a few days." Gibbs said his arm around Ziva.

Jenny smiled when no pangs of jealousy assailed her.

"Good bye Jethro, Ziva." Jenny replied as Tony wheeled her out of the room.

* * *

At about the same time, McGee arrived at his apartment. To his utter surprise, it didn't resemble a grave yard. In fact Abby ensured that the coffin was covered with a colourful table clothe, red with skulls in all the primary colours. She helped him to his bedroom, insisted on helping him change out of his clothes, gave him a delicious sponge bath, and fed him homemade hot chicken soup before tucking him into bed, next to her warm cuddly body.

Yes, this is definitely not bad at all, McGee smiled.

"McGee, maybe I should let you sleep alone, before I tempt you to do more then you're ready for." Abby smiled.

"Oh," McGee blushed embarrassed that Abby could clearly feel how happy he was to be lying so close to her.

"Oh sweetie, it's okay. Really. A psychologist once told me that after experiencing extreme stress and trauma, the body enters a state of constant and heightened arousal irrespective of whether the body is fully capable of performing or not."

"Abby, _please_." McGee's flushed face turned a deeper shade of red.

"Oh okay McGee; let's see how far we're able to go." Abby said misunderstanding McGee's 'please'.

She turned in his arms and surprised him by locking her lips to his in an intimate kiss.

And McGee … and Abby too, soon realized that the body was quiet capable of performing despite the minor inconvenience of pain.

* * *

Later that week as the sun disappeared on the horizon, Ziva led Gibbs to his bedroom. They had been together at his home of the last 5 days, making love as regularly as having meals. Gibbs' leg was healing nicely and he was able to walk with the use of one crutch. Ziva's wounds were also healed.

Both of them had just returned from having checkups with their respective doctors and Ziva was rather quiet.

In his bedroom, Ziva proceeded to remove his clothes, wordlessly. He let her as he removed hers. She was beautiful, strong and delectable. She sighed as his hand brushed across her nipple and Gibbs sensed a kind of urgency in her. She would demand a lot the first time round and he would give it to her. But tonight he also had another agenda.

Soon both were naked, breathing huskily, hands skimming over heated flesh.

_"Jethro, I need you now."_ Ziva whispered, leading him to the bed.

_"Ziva, tell me."_ Gibbs asked.

_"Later, make love to me. I need to feel you deep in side me."_ Ziva knew her words would have the desired effect.

Gibbs growled as he bent down and kissed her fiercely.

Yes, that was how she wanted it tonight, hard, fast and fierce.

She let him kiss her neck, suckle her breasts, nip her nipples and caress her nether lips. And than she couldn't wait any longer and she didn't want to be in control tonight. She wanted him to take her.

_"Jethro…"_ she moaned as she got onto all fours on the bed.

_"Now please, like this!"_ She groaned.

Gibbs placed his injured leg on the bed and balanced on his good leg. Slowly he eased forward and penetrated her heated core. Ziva cried out in delight as he filled her to the hilt. Then he moved and transported her to places beyond this world.

Ziva's cries spurred him on, heightening his pleasure. They had not done it this way before and Gibbs found that he liked it, especially since he could watch her in the mirror on the opposite wall. She looked like a nymph, uninhibited in her pleasure.

Their moans filled the air. The heat became too much. The need became too intense.

Ziva demanded that he go faster, harder and deeper, and God help him, he did.

Soon she cried out, _"Oh God…. Yes! Yes! Yes! ... Yeeesssss!"_

"Ziva!" Gibbs growled as he buried himself deep inside her and exploded.

"Mmmm, Jethro…. I love you!" Ziva whispered moments later as Gibb and she slipped down onto the bed, Gibbs covering her back.

"Ziva, you haven't answered my question yet." Gibbs whispered as he nipped her ear.

"Question?" Ziva murmured. Gibbs felt her tense up.

"Ziva?" He asked, concerned.

"I need to ask you a question first." Ziva said all traces of a thoroughly loved body disappearing.

"Ask." Gibbs ordered.

"Do you want … children?" Ziva asked.

Gibbs was so surprised that he slipped out of and off her onto her side so that he could look at her.

"I haven't thought about it."

"Oh."

"But I think that if the opportunity arose for me to be a father again, I would do it differently this time."

"Differently? How?" Ziva asked.

"I would be there more to share in all the special moments. I would make sure that my kid knew that I loved him or her. I would enjoy every second and I would fight to give him or her, the best that I could. I would make up for what … my Kelly … missed out on." Gibbs fiercely stated.

"Oh Jethro." Ziva leaned forward and kissed him deeply.

"Now, your answer?"

"To?"

"Ziva, I love you with a passion that scares the hell out of me. I want to be with you forever and I need to know if you want the same. So I'm going to ask you again. Will you marry me?" Gibbs asked his eyes locked with hers.

Ziva didn't say anything as she rolled onto her back and pulled him close.

"Ziva?" Gibbs tried to give her the time she seemed to need to answer him.

"Yes!" Ziva smiled.

"Yes?!" Gibbs repeated.

_"Yes, Jethro. Yes, I will marry you…"_ Ziva laughed as Gibbs' face shone with overflowing joy.

Then she took his hand and placed it on her lower abdomen.

"And you will have approximately 7 and a half months to get used to the idea of becoming a father because that when our baby will be born." Ziva smiled.

Gibbs eyes widened in shock and disbelief, only to be replaced by unbridled love and delight.

"I love you! God I love you so much." Gibbs whispered.

Then he leaned over her naked abdomen and placed a reverent kiss on her still flat womb.

"I haven't met you yet, but I already love you!!" Gibbs whispered, before moving up Ziva's body and making slow, exquisite love to her.

_The End_


End file.
